So we’re a few days behind on our Christmas cookie blogging. My apologies to anyone who has been waiting on pins and needles to see what day 8 brought to the kitchen! On the eighth day of Christmas cookies, Food Network sent to me…Anne Burrell’s recipe for meringue cookies.
I don’t know that I’ve ever made meringues before, but they are kind of ridiculously cool. I guess if there’s any scientist in me, it’s really impressed with the way egg whites transform from a gel-like substance to a meringue. It’s really crazy. That being said, it is very possible to ruin this recipe if you don’t precisely follow the directions. I know this because I ruined my first batch and ended up missing this week’s episode of Parks and Recreation (I know, sad) because I had to run the mixer all over again (and due to the setup of our apartment, if the mixer is running, it is impossible to hear anything else).
Speaking of mixers, this is a recipe where a stand mixer really comes in handy. I don’t think my arm could have handled running a traditional mixer for long enough to beat the egg whites into peaks. And it’s always really fun to walk away from the mixer, but still be mixing. I love it every time.
Enough about my love for the Kitchen-Aid…
If you don’t want to ruin your meringues, make sure to leave the mixer running while you add your sugar and cinnamon. If you turn the mixer off and then turn it back on, the batter will become a runny mess. And then you’ll have to throw it away. And then you’ll be sad.
Anne Burrell’s Meringue Cookies
recipe from Food Network
2 cups sliced blanched almonds (I used less than this because I only had about a cup on hand…)
4 large egg whites
pinch kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the oven until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool and then coarsely chop, either by hand or in a food processor.
Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt. On the second highest speed of the mixer, beat the egg whites until they come to medium peaks. With the mixer running, gently sprinkle in the sugar and cinnamon. Beat until stiff peaks form, then remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently fold in the chopped almonds.
Drop the batter in 1-inch balls, onto 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown all over, firm to the touch, and they lift cleanly off the baking sheet, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets.
These cookies ended up looking like little scoops of ice cream, which was exciting and cute. And they tasted almost exactly like a toasted marshmallow. They were super delicious right out of the oven, but I’m afraid you need to eat them all on the day you bake them. They lost some of their crispness the next day and became oddly chewy. So I’d recommend making these when you’ll have lots of hungry folks around to enjoy them right away.
Be sure to check out Becca’s cherry white almond sandwich cookies!
-Ally
Chad and Becca says
I want to try these! Sound much better than the lemon kind I made. And yeah- what’s with them becoming chewy the next day??