Chocolate Meringue Cookies

These are the cookies that bake while you sleep.

Whip egg whites with vanilla and sugar into glossy, stiff peaks, then fold in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Drop them onto a cookie sheet, slide them into a preheated oven, shut the door, turn off the heat, and do not open it again until morning.

The residual heat slowly dries the meringue into something crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the center, with pockets of melted chocolate and crunchy nuts throughout.

Wake up to a kitchen that smells incredible and a batch of cookies already done.

Kitchen Tips

• Make sure your bowl and beaters are spotlessly clean and grease-free. Even a tiny bit of fat will prevent the egg whites from whipping to full volume.
• Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and keep beating until it fully dissolves. Rub a bit of meringue between your fingers; if it feels gritty, keep going.
• Seriously, do not open the oven door. Not to peek, not to check, not even a crack. The slow cooling is the entire method, and any temperature drop will deflate or crack the cookies.
• Humidity is the enemy of meringue. Save these for a dry day, or they’ll turn sticky and chewy instead of crisp.