I’ve always wanted to attempt a meringue, but shied away with the belief that it would be a complicated, finicky recipe — and it’s no secret that I have no patience with fussy recipes. However, when I found this recipe from Gninethree, I knew I had to man up and hit the kitchen.

As it turns out, these cookies are a textbook example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.  They were simple, quick, and fun to whip up, with very few ingredients.  My kitchen quickly filled with the smell of rich chocolate and, when they came out of the oven, they were a beautiful cocoa color.

They tasted as good as they smelled — the roommates grabbed three off of the cookie sheet the minute they came out of the oven and devoured them.  Light and fluffy, with the intense chocolate flavor of a much richer dessert.  Next time, I’ll be making a double (or triple) batch!

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Recipe adapted from Gninethree

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons Dutch processed coco powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark, but the original recipe calls for unsweetened coco powder)

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Beat egg whites until foamy.

Add your cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and continue to beat, quickly, until soft peaks form in the batter.

Add your sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat quickly until stiffer peaks form.

Sift the coco power over your batter and fold in gently.  Make sure the batter is well combined; I had to double check two or three times for loose coco powder in the folds of the batter.

Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of dough on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.  If you live in a particularly humid spot, the original recipe has alternate cooking instructions.

Enjoy!