mocha chip meringues

It's always a tough day when there's no flour in the kitchen. Do you ever get in that mood where it seems silly to go all the way to the store to only buy one thing? You can't think of anything else you urgently need, but if you go you'll end up with a third jar of peanut butter cause it's on sale and a very large bag of tortilla chips and maybe some new nail polish. I'm a grocery store impulse buyer, so I try to avoid it until I actually need groceries. Try is the key word, though. I usually end up there all the time, buying squares of fancy cheese or bags of shredded coconut.

I do have grocery store impulse control sometimes, which is when I end up making meringue cookies. They are so easy to make and require such little effort, things I often forget when egg whites are involved. Egg whites are fun to work with and meringues are such adaptable little cookies. They are always sure to impress too, because everyone thinks they are difficult to make. I went with an espresso+cocoa mixture and studded them with chocolate chunks. They taste like little clouds that melt with each bite.

Mocha Chip Meringues
Adapted from an Everyday Food recipe

3 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of salt
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (easy, easy cleanup!). Stir together coffee and vanilla until coffee is dissolved. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the egg whites and and cream of tartar using electric beaters or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, beating until frothy. Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time and continue beating until the mixture holds stiff glossy peaks. To test this, turn the mixer off and turn the whisk over. If the whites stay firm and tall (they should look like snowy mountaintops) then you've reached the right consistency. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the cocoa, coffee mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.

Drop the batter by spoonful onto the baking sheets. You can also pipe them, using a plastic bag with the corner cut off, to achieve more uniform shapes. Bake until dried out and crisp, about 30-40 minutes. Cool on baking sheets, then transfer to a sealed container to store. Meringues will keep for days and days, if you can keep from eating them.