As part of all my Thanksgiving prep, the Accidental Locavore had bits and pieces of a lot of leftover food. With all good intentions, I saved most of them, hoping to re-purpose later. Perusing through Saveur, this simple cookie recipe, with only five ingredients, would put the egg whites I saved to good use. It makes about 2 dozen cookies, and as long as you have some sort of electric mixer, is quick and easy.
- 4 egg whites (from large eggs)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 1/2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3 cups cornflakes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 300°. Line two baking sheets with parchment (or a Silpat). Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites while slowly adding the sugar. Continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (you should be able to remove the beaters and the peaks stay up-no Viagra needed). Fold in the chocolate, cornflakes and vanilla.
Drop tablespoon-sized amounts of batter about 1″ apart on the baking sheets.
Bake until crisp and just slightly golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool, serve and enjoy!
My verdict: My first attempt at meringue and they were delicious! I forgot how much I like it, and learned that Frank isn’t a big fan (oh well, more for me). The cornflakes were an interesting touch, but the next time I make them, I might try using Rice Krispies for a more subtle crunch, or possibly break up the cornflakes just a little. I baked these using the convection setting on my oven to make sure they would dry out properly. I also used parchment instead of the Silpat, because it’s less to wash (and I forgot about the Silpats until I started writing this). If you’re storing them, put them in a paper bag or leave them out. Plastic bags will make them soggy and sticky. Now that I’ve done my first meringues, could a bÁ»che de NoÁ«l be the next big baking project? Stay tuned.
You’re right about the told or any oil, it will ruin the rise of the egg whites!
I like the idea of the brown sugar version, I’ll definitely give that a try the next time I go into cookie mode, thanks!
One hint: The SLIGHTEST bit of yolk, or even a mixing bowl that has some oil/butter/margarine residue in it–even a tiny amount will cause trouble. Meaning, it will never get as peaky and it will take 2x-3x as long.
Too much vanilla or mint (which I like) will damage “loft.”
A wonderful version: Substitute “dry” brown sugar (in a box, not the wet stuff!) for white sugar. Pulverize it in a spice mill so it’s very fine. Add regular amount of vanilla and 1 cup pecans. I call this version, “pecan pie soldier’s cookies.” (Soldiers because they were very popular during WWII.
Thanks for the recipe, I couldn’t remember how many egg whites to use.
Thanks, good advice!
If its soggy, just leave them in oven longer in lower temp.
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I would think you could substitute coco puffs, but I don’t think it’s going to give you a softer texture. What I didn’t love about the cornflakes, was that some of them got a bit soggy so when you bit into them, it was a little like biting into cardboard (not nearly that bad). I was thinking Rice Krispies because there was less area to get soggy. If you try it with coco puffs, please let me know how it goes.
These sound wonderful! I wonder if, to get a softer texture you could substitue the cornflakes with coco puffs?