chocolate chip meringues

My friend Julie whipped up a batch of her magic meringues and it got me thinking how amazing it is that two egg whites and sugar can turn into something so incredibly good when puffed up with air. Of course, the chocolate doesn’t hurt. Neither does the secret ingredient: a dash of orange oil. These are easier and faster to make than chocolate chip cookies and are gluten free (if you use gf chocolate chips, of course).

ingredients

2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
orange oil, optional (see note)
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips

directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In an electric stand mixer or with electric beaters in a bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating on high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating while you slowly add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla and a few drops of the orange oil, if using. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Using a soup spoon, scoop up little mounds and push onto the parchment paper with another spoon, leaving about 2 inches of space between mounds. Each baking sheet should hold a dozen meringues.

Bake in the oven until you can smell the meringues and the surfaces are just starting to crack, about 25 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through. Remove each baking sheet from oven and rest one end on your counter; slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet with the meringues still attached. Let the meringues cool on parchment on counter. Can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in airtight containers.

note: look for orange oil in the baking section near the vanilla and other extracts.