Kukulu ka 'ike i ka 'opua - The revelations are found in the clouds. (Yes, yes they are.)
At some point or another everyone has gazed up at the sky and done some cloud watching. You know, "Hey! That one looks like a Twinkie!" or "Ohhhh...that one looks like the Bastille!" Ok, maybe not, but I'm sure you've looked up and thought about what clouds might taste like. And I'm not talking about cotton candy wispy clouds, I'm talking about those big poofy clouds. At the risk of sounding geeky (oh, ha ha guys)...it's the difference between a cirrus cloud and a cumulus cloud.
These cookie are like putting a little piece of cloud in your mouth. They're sort of crunchy on the outside, but once you bite into them they all but dissolve into a sugary puddle on your tongue.
The Dictator (my 4 year old daughter) came home from preschool pointed at them on the counter and said with wide eyes "WHAT are THOSE Mumma??" So I handed her one and told her to try it. She fell in love and said to me "Mumma, they look like little clouds!" So we decided to call these little gems "Cora Clouds." (She's eaten nearly all of them already.)
So, it may be a sin, but I've never even made meringue before. Nope, no lemon meringue pie for this family. (We're more of a whole fruit with a fattening lard pie crust kind of family.) So, suffice to say I've never made a meringue cookie before either, and the only ones I've ever had have come out of a package. (And they were horrid.)
And so it came to be that I had 6 egg whites on hand and I can't just throw away food, especially not viable ingredients. (I had made a chocolate cream pie and that bad boy took 6 egg yolks. Can you hear my cholesterol creeping up??) In the past I've saved the egg whites to brush on the tops of pies and breads and things. But I was feeling extra brave and suddenly the little oven light above my head went on and I all but shouted "Meringues!" in the kitchen. (Luckily enough the Deputy was still in bed and the Dicator and the Empathizer were both in school.)
So, I googled them. Holy, you would not believe the amount of meringue recipes there are out there! I decided to go whole hog and whip up a batch of chocolate chocolate chip meringue cookies. Why not? I've had a bag of mini-chips hangin' out in my baking drawer for months, might as well get some mileage out of them.
And so it came to pass that the revelations were in my kitchen...
Cora Clouds
3 Large Egg Whites (room temperature!!!)
1/4 Tsp Cream of Tartar (I use Bakewell Cream)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
3 Tsb Cocoa
Mini-Chips (Add till your inner chocoholic is satisfied.)
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment, silpats, or silicone baking mats.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, using your whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla at high sped until soft peaks form. (Tilt the head of your mixer back and look at the tips of your "peaks." If they bend over onto themselves they're soft, if they stand straight up they're stiff. Oh, go ahead and ha ha, ya perverts.)
Add sugar 1 tbs at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Your batter will also be shiny or glossy looking. Sift cocoa over the egg white mixture and fold in gently then gently fold in your chips.
Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. I used a small cookie scoop and it worked great. (Next time, and yes there will be a next time, I'm going to elimnate the chips and use a piping bag and a large star tip to make these fancy! Hehehe!) Bake for 40 minutes. Yes, 40 minutes. Perfection takes time. They will look crisp when they're done. If you're not sure, tap one, it will sound hollow. Cool the cookies on the pan for a few minutes and them move them to a wire rack to cool fully and then watch them float away.
At some point or another everyone has gazed up at the sky and done some cloud watching. You know, "Hey! That one looks like a Twinkie!" or "Ohhhh...that one looks like the Bastille!" Ok, maybe not, but I'm sure you've looked up and thought about what clouds might taste like. And I'm not talking about cotton candy wispy clouds, I'm talking about those big poofy clouds. At the risk of sounding geeky (oh, ha ha guys)...it's the difference between a cirrus cloud and a cumulus cloud.
These cookie are like putting a little piece of cloud in your mouth. They're sort of crunchy on the outside, but once you bite into them they all but dissolve into a sugary puddle on your tongue.
The Dictator (my 4 year old daughter) came home from preschool pointed at them on the counter and said with wide eyes "WHAT are THOSE Mumma??" So I handed her one and told her to try it. She fell in love and said to me "Mumma, they look like little clouds!" So we decided to call these little gems "Cora Clouds." (She's eaten nearly all of them already.)
So, it may be a sin, but I've never even made meringue before. Nope, no lemon meringue pie for this family. (We're more of a whole fruit with a fattening lard pie crust kind of family.) So, suffice to say I've never made a meringue cookie before either, and the only ones I've ever had have come out of a package. (And they were horrid.)
And so it came to be that I had 6 egg whites on hand and I can't just throw away food, especially not viable ingredients. (I had made a chocolate cream pie and that bad boy took 6 egg yolks. Can you hear my cholesterol creeping up??) In the past I've saved the egg whites to brush on the tops of pies and breads and things. But I was feeling extra brave and suddenly the little oven light above my head went on and I all but shouted "Meringues!" in the kitchen. (Luckily enough the Deputy was still in bed and the Dicator and the Empathizer were both in school.)
So, I googled them. Holy, you would not believe the amount of meringue recipes there are out there! I decided to go whole hog and whip up a batch of chocolate chocolate chip meringue cookies. Why not? I've had a bag of mini-chips hangin' out in my baking drawer for months, might as well get some mileage out of them.
And so it came to pass that the revelations were in my kitchen...
Cora Clouds
3 Large Egg Whites (room temperature!!!)
1/4 Tsp Cream of Tartar (I use Bakewell Cream)
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
3 Tsb Cocoa
Mini-Chips (Add till your inner chocoholic is satisfied.)
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment, silpats, or silicone baking mats.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, using your whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla at high sped until soft peaks form. (Tilt the head of your mixer back and look at the tips of your "peaks." If they bend over onto themselves they're soft, if they stand straight up they're stiff. Oh, go ahead and ha ha, ya perverts.)
Add sugar 1 tbs at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Your batter will also be shiny or glossy looking. Sift cocoa over the egg white mixture and fold in gently then gently fold in your chips.
Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. I used a small cookie scoop and it worked great. (Next time, and yes there will be a next time, I'm going to elimnate the chips and use a piping bag and a large star tip to make these fancy! Hehehe!) Bake for 40 minutes. Yes, 40 minutes. Perfection takes time. They will look crisp when they're done. If you're not sure, tap one, it will sound hollow. Cool the cookies on the pan for a few minutes and them move them to a wire rack to cool fully and then watch them float away.