Meringue Nut Cookies (Low-Fat Version)
Light and crispy nut cookies made with whipped egg whites — a low-fat recipe.
Ingredients
large egg whites (room temperature (68°–70°F))
4
salt
⅛tsp
fresh lemon juice
⅛tsp
granulated sugar
1 cup
vanilla extract
2 tsp
almond extract (omit when using pecans)
½tsp
chopped pecans, almonds, or skinned hazelnuts (chopped)
½cup
Instructions
1
Preheat and Prepare
Position racks in the center of the oven and in the upper third. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
2
Whip the Egg Whites
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice on low speed until foamy. Increase the speed and continue beating until the egg whites are foamy and begin to form soft peaks.
3
Add the Sugar
Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat and scraping down the bowl as needed, until fully combined.
4
Add the Flavorings
Reduce the speed to low, add the vanilla extract and almond extract (omit the almond extract when using pecans), and continue beating until the mixture is glossy and forms very stiff peaks.
5
Fold in the Nuts
Gently fold in the chopped nuts.
6
Shape and Bake
Using a teaspoon, drop portions of batter in peak shapes onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 1½ inches apart. (Alternatively, use a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch open-star tip to pipe the batter into 1¼-inch kisses.) Bake 2 sheets at a time for 18 minutes. Rotate and swap the sheets, then bake for another 18 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
7
Cool
Transfer the cookies with the parchment paper to a flat surface until completely cooled. Gently peel the cookies off the paper.
