Type: Drop cookie

　　Habitat: United States

　　Description: These are my first-ever memorized recipe, which I make again and again. These are easy and quick to make and combine sweet, crunchy vanilla-scented meringue with toasted walnuts and dark chocolate morsels.

　　Field Notes: My mom found this recipe in a church cookbook, where they were called Surprise Meringues. The surprise is that you only see a hint of the chocolate and nuts inside the cookie; when you bite into them, there is an explosion of flavor and textures.

　　Lifespan: 2 weeks at room temperature in airtight container.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: 45 cookies

　　

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

　　1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

　　3/4 cup granulated sugar

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

　　1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and finely chopped

　　

Directions

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

2. In a medium, clean, grease-free bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, whipping until stiff but not dry peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by generously rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

　　

Step 3

3. Bake until completely firm and dry, but still white, about 25 minutes; you should be able to lift cookies from pan. Slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely.

　　Reprinted with permission from A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies by Dede Wilson. © 2003 Harvard Common Press