Recipes

[NoTan4Me]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/espresso-chip-meringues-recipe.html

I made this recipe yesterday, and they are delicious! However, as per the recipe calling for approximately 1/4 cup batter per cookie, yielding 12 cookies, each cookie is HUGE. I'd like to make them half the size. Can anyone suggest an amended baking time? Thanks!

[NoTan4Me]

If anyone has made meringue cookies before, I'd love some advice!

This is the recipe:

Ingredients
3 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch fine sea salt
3/4 cup superfine baker's sugar*
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
*Can be found at specialty cooking stores

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt until frothy, about 1 minute. With the machine on medium-high speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and holds stiff peaks, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely while still in the oven, about 2 hours.

Store airtight in a plastic container for up to 4 days.

Cook's Note: The meringue mixture can also be placed in a pasty bag fitted with a large, plain tip (recommended: Ateco # 9808) and piped onto the baking sheet.

[Marsha2003]

HERE is another recipe. It seems to use a lower oven temperature. Also, it has some information about reasons a meringue doesn't cook quite right.

[NoTan4Me]

Thank you, Marsha!

[tkins]

Hi NoTan4Me,

I have never had an espresso version, but my grandma used to make something very similar, vanilla with and without chocolate chips. It is still one of my all time favorite cookies and still make them all the time. I have to sign off for now, but, if you are still interested, I would be happy to share my tips, etc in the morning. I have to come back to copy your recipe, it sounds really good.

tkins

[NoTan4Me]

I'm about to bake my smaller versions now. I'll cut the time just by a few minutes. Crossing my fingers...

Thanks tkins, I'd still like your tips!

[tkins]

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this earlier. The most important thing is the humidity, they won't turn out if it is humid. Back when grandma made them, she had a gas oven with an always lit pilot light which actually helped to dry them out. Her recipe calls for 2 egg whites to be beaten very stiff with a speck (I add to taste) of salt add 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. Keep beating. Gradually add 3/4 Cup Sugar (I sometimes use 1/2 cup instead) with 1 teaspoon Vanilla. At this point you can fold in 6 oz of chocolate chips (funny note on her recipe, they actually used to sell 6 oz bags of chocolate chips). Put batter 1 tsp at a time on a foil lined cookie sheet then in oven. Heat oven to 300 degrees then turn off. Leave in oven overnight or at least 7 hours. This usually works pretty good, but sometimes I find it hard to wait for them to finish, so I set the oven at the lowest temperature I can and let them go 30 - 45 minutes, then turn the oven off (and try to forget about them) checking after 3 or 4 hours to see if a test cookie comes off the cookie sheet easily and after being out of the oven on a cooling rack what the texture is like, if crunchy outside, but soft and/or chewy inside, I reheat the oven to the lowest temperature again, let them go about 15 minutes, turn it off and continue waiting. Some people like them a little brown, I don't, so I watch them very carefully. You can use a pastry bag, but I don't like to, I like to get every last cookie I can. When you store them, place them in a plastic container in layers, don't stack them directly on top of each other, place a piece of wax paper between each layer. Making them smaller is not a problem, any size will do, they should be done a little sooner and you will definitely get more cookies. The recipe I use does not spread, so you can get a lot on one cookie sheet. If you want to top with sprinkles or anything, make sure to do each one as you go while it will still stick, if you wait until they are all on the sheet, they may have formed a slight crust and the sprinkles won't stick. Oh and I did try to make them using the egg whites in a carton and it does not work. They are very versatile and fun to experiment with, but I still love the plain old vanilla the best. I am sure they will turn out great, enjoy them.

tkins

[NoTan4Me]

They turned out incredibly well! I used the pastry bag, made them small, baked them on parchment paper. No worries about humidity, as we have central A/C. Did not have to leave them in for 7 hours. Less than 2 did the trick. I can't wait to make them again!