Meringue Cookies

A sweet bite-sized chocolate cloud, the taste of toasted marshmallow, a little kick of espresso...mmmm. These are tasty little cookies. I started with a recipe from Weight Watchers and only deviated slightly. The original recipe suggests you make the meringue batter and then split into two halves. Flavor one with cocoa powder and leave the other vanilla. I started by dividing the batter into three. The first part combined vanilla-almond flavor (which gives the toasted marshmallow flavor to the "plain" ones), used unsweetened cocoa powder as suggested in the second, and in the third added instant espresso. They are yummy, but the vanilla-almond are my favorites.

Meringue Cookies
adapted from Weight Watchers
Serves: 22 | 2 cookies each **see yield note after recipe

4 large egg whites
½ tsp white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
approx. 1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder

Preheat oven to 200ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add vinegar; beat until
soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add sugar; beat until glossy stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla and almond.

Remove 1/3 of meringue to another bowl; stir in cocoa until blended.
Remove additional 1/3 meringue and add espresso powder.

Spoon each flavor into zip top baggie and pipe onto baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Batter can be piped individually, or pipe half a tablespoon or so of 2 flavors and swirl together with a toothpick.

Bake until meringues feel dry and crisp all the way through, about 3 hours. Turn off oven;
leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.
Peel meringues off parchment and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
**Yields about 2 cookies per serving

**The recipe said @ 1 Tbsp each there would be about 44 cookies. I must have been extremely sparing on my Tbsp thinking because I ended up with 100 cookies. I do prefer them this way as they came out to be about 2 small bites worth each. Delicious and will definitely make them again.