Chocolate Chip Meringues

These are sometimes called “forgotten cookies” for the obvious reason: you bake them by turning the oven OFF after sliding the trays in, then leaving them inside overnight. The residual oven heat slowly dries the meringues from the outside in, giving you cookies that are crisp on the surface and just barely chewy at the core, with no risk of browning.

Three ingredients, no shortcuts. Two egg whites get whipped past foamy, into the light-and-fluffy stage where they hold a soft peak. Then the sugar streams in slowly. Eight full minutes of beating dissolves every grain of sugar into the whites and builds the structure that holds the meringue stable through the long, cool dry-out.

Folding in the chocolate chips is where most people lose their loft. Use a rubber spatula and turn the bowl in quarter rotations rather than stirring, so the air stays trapped in the whites. A flat, deflated meringue spreads on the sheet and bakes into chewy disks instead of puffy clouds.

Greasing the cookie sheet works, but parchment paper works better. The meringues release cleanly without the slightly fried bottom you can get on a greased pan.

Pro Tips

• Use a glass or metal bowl, never plastic. Plastic holds invisible fat residue that prevents whites from whipping to full volume.
• Make sure not a drop of yolk gets into the whites. Even a tiny bit of fat keeps them from forming peaks.
• Pick a cool, dry day. Humidity is the enemy of meringues; on a damp day they stay sticky and weep instead of drying crisp.
• Resist opening the oven door overnight. Letting cool air in stops the slow dry-out and gives you sticky, soft cookies.

Variations

• Stir in a half teaspoon of peppermint extract and use dark chocolate chips for a holiday cookie tray classic.
• Fold in a quarter cup of finely chopped toasted pecans or almonds along with the chips for crunch.
• Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on each meringue before the long bake for a sweet-and-salty contrast.