NOTE: Feel free to skip trying to make meringues and go straight to the super easy cookie recipes below.Other Passover Desserts (all gluten-free, non-gebroks):
Blintzes
Fudgy Brownies
Banana Ice Cream
Fruit Compote
I've had a rough relationship with meringues. For years I would try making meringues and encounter one of several problems:
- My cheap hand mixer was insufficient or the motor would overheat before I had "stiff peaks."
- My own hand with whisk got tired before I reached "stiff peaks."
- I added the sugar too fast.
- I tried to make too big of a batch.
- My "stiff peaks" collapsed when I added cocoa powder.
- I got too creative "folding in" other ingredients and my meringues collapsed or turned to soup.
There's no reason to dump perfectly good egg whites just because they didn't 'peak'. With just a little encouragement and support, those whites can grow up into some very unique cookies that your family and guests will go NUTS over!
Chocolate Walnut Cookies
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- Preheat oven to 250 F / 120 C. (Or use the temperature of whatever else is cooking.)
- Mix in a 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or nut of your choice. Adjust quantity as needed; your mixture should be VERY nutty. You could add chocolate chips with or in place of the cocoa powder, in addition to the nuts.
- Grease a baking pan (or two), or line a pan with baking paper and pour your mixture in. (If it's thick enough, fold cookies.) You want a thin layer, about the depth of a walnut. Now you have a few options to play with.
- (A) Bake until the mixture thickens, then form the batter into cookies and bake until crispy.
or(B) Bake until the top is crispy. Then flip upside down and break into smaller pieces and bake the other side. They may need to bake for about an hour total.
Chewy Almond Macaroons
Beginning with:
- 3 egg whites
- 1.5 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- a little vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 F / 170 C.
- Mix/blend in 2.25 cups ground almonds, enough to form a firm dough.
- Form cookies and bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
Based on Faye Levy’s Almond Macaroons posted by Miriyummy.
I make some very similar cookies - intentionally. These look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteA failed cake recipe that (can) stills tastes good should always be converted to cookies, well done!
ReplyDeleteI have to make both of these. I can't wait to start baking.
ReplyDeleteThese look great! Love how you made lemonade out of lemons :)
ReplyDeleteMeringues can be tricky! These look so good.
ReplyDeleteTrying chocolate walnut cookies now... Added the sugar too fast in my rush!!! Never rush a meringe in any stage!!! Hope the alternative is yummy...
ReplyDeleteThese turned out delicious! I knew that little lump of yolk would ruin the meringues so I went straight to looking to see how I could avoid wasting them. I made the chocolate walnut and it was really (really!) good. Light and crispy outside and slightly chewy inside. I will make them again deliberately. Carefully cut into squares (some will crumble, but who cares?..we eat the ugly ones anyway :) they stack neatly for gifting. They're on my giving list for this season.
ReplyDeleteI made the chocolate one. I had used 8 whites in my failed meringue, so i added 4 tbls of cocoa. O didnt throughly read all the baking instuctions before i place my batter in a cookie pan with shallow heart shaped cookie forms. I only baked them 15 20 they where similar in texture to thin brownies. Sligtly crisp around the edges. I hope i can create this fail again!!. Would love to show u picture, but not sure how on here.
ReplyDelete