I got the idea for these little cookies from the Joy of Cooking. The warm method meringue is from the same source.
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites (1/2 c)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 c Splenda
unsweetened cocoa (optional)
1 1-oz LC dark chocolate bar
parchment paper
Set eggs out at room temperature about 2 hours before use, then separate. Save the yolks for hollandaise sauce!
Hand-whisk together whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and splenda in a large heatproof bowl. Put a large saucepan of water on medium heat until gently simmering, then set the bowl into the saucepan so it's sort of like a double boiler. Whisk the whites constantly by hand until they are warm but not hot -- the JoC says 105-110 degrees, just a little warmer than your skin temp. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk with an electric mixer on high until they are in the stiff-peak stage.
Spoon meringue into a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe out half-dollar-sized round "caps", and "stems" like upsize-down V's, about 1/2 inch tall, onto a sheet of parchment paper in a cookie tray. The parchment paper is *very* important -- it's the only way to keep them from sticking to the tin and crumbling to bits! I always make at least 10-15 extra stems, since I invariably break a couple anyway. Dust the stems and caps lightly with unsweetened cocoa if desired.
For my home oven, I bake at 200F for one hour, then turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for an hour to cool. However, that's *really* dependent on your oven -- my fiance's oven takes about 25 minutes at 200F, his oven thermostat is completely whacked. Anyway, you want the meringue to be completely crisp, no hint of softness or marshmallow-ness inside, but try to turn the oven off before they start to turn golden. Taste a couple of the extra stems to figure out where they are!
Once the caps and stems have cooled in the oven, pull them off the parchment paper. Using a very sharp knife and working very delicately, slice off a tiny bit of the top of the stems to make a flat place. Melt the LC chocolate bars in a double boiler, the microwave, or a heavy skillet on ultra-low heat (be *very* careful with this last!). Once the chocolate has melted, spread a thin coating of it on the underside of each cap, then stick a stem onto the cap. Place upside-down on some paper towels until cooled.
Obviously, you can pipe these into different shapes to make cookies or meringue nests. If you make big shapes, you may need to bake them a bit longer, or they'll be marshmallow-ish inside (of course, I kinda like them that way too!). I have also substituted 1/2 tsp peppermint extract in place of the 1 tsp vanilla for mint-flavored ones, and I'm going to try chocolate extract too. Just be careful with the flavored extracts, they can be rather strong!
These are darling served in baskets with paper "straw", truly Martha Stewart-esque! I served these at my last cocktail party, and not only did 35 people eat two full batches, but they all left firmly convinced of my domestic-goddesshood
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The entire batch of meringue contains
Some notes on meringue:
Never try to make a meringue in a plastic bowl. The slightest trace of fat -- whether egg yolk in the whites or fat embedded in the plastic -- will prevent whites from rising properly. Always use stainless steel or pyrex, and you may want to rub the bowl out with a little salt and vinegar to be sure there's no fat in there.
Don't even bother to try these when the humidity's above 90% -- they just don't rise or cook right. This is not a rainy-day project!
Before handling the baked meringues, make sure your hands are absolutely dry -- these things melt away at a hint of moisture. Also, the baked meringues are extremely delicate, particularly the stems.
Room-temperature eggs work much better than cold eggs. Also, slightly older eggs whip better -- something to do with the way the proteins start to break down -- although they're harder to separate than very fresh eggs.