Chocolate Meringue Cookies

These addictive cookies are a little crispy on the outside with a gooey, chewy chocolate centre.

Servings: 3 dozen cookies

Ready Time: 35 minutes

Wine Pairings: One is hard-pressed to find much in the way of good kosher dessert wines in Canada, which is a shame. This recipes deserve something more regal than the old Passover standby, Manischewitz, unless you harbour a nostalgic affection for the grapey elixir in the square bottle. Let me offer a few hard-to-find selections, some only moderately sweet, that could work. From Italy: Bartenura Malvasia; Bartenura Asti; Borgo Reale Malvasia Frizzante; Les Floreales Moscato; Sara Bee Moscato; and Sentieri Ebraici. From Austria: Hafner Gewurztraminer Icewine and Hafner Neusiedler. -Beppi Crosariol

Ingredients

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chips, melted, plus extra 1/4 cup to stir in

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Method

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until foamy. Slowly add sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in melted chocolate by hand, being careful to keep the whites as fluffy as possible, then fold in extra chocolate chips (and nuts if desired).

Scoop the batter into a pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag. Snip off a bottom corner of the plastic bag, making sure the hole is big enough to allow the chips through. Immediately pipe batter onto prepared baking sheets to form cookies about 2 inches in diameter.

Bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool 5 to 8 minutes before removing from baking sheets.