Coffee Meringues
Photo by Mark Weinberg
- Serves
- About 24 cookies
With Passover upon us, I decided to rework my favorite Passover cookie and add some coffee flavor. What I love about these meringues is that you put them together, place them in the oven, and turn the oven off -- so easy, so forgiving (except if your oven, like mine, doesn't hold its temperature, in which case you should turn the oven down to the lowest setting -- mine is 170° F -- and put a pizza stone or some bricks in the bottom of the oven so the temperature remains more consistent). The coffee flavors the meringues really nicely and the toasted pecan adds a deep-flavored crunch to offset the sweet meringue.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites from large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (like Medaglia D'Oro, or similar)
- 24 pecan halves, lightly toasted
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I envision a future where I make these meringues every weekend and then try really hard not to eat them all one after the other. The single hardest part about this recipe was scraping the batter off the spoon, which, you may imagine, was not hard at all (unless you are a perfectionist). Each bite was in perfect balance, from the salty and sweet coffee to the airy, but chewy meringue and crunchy pecan. Irresistible.
Directions
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350° F and line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
- Step 2
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites with the salt until they begin to foam. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder and continue to beat until the batter is glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk.
- Step 3
Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto the cookie sheet about 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart. (These don't spread much.) Top each cookie with a toasted pecan half. Place cookie sheet in oven and turn the oven off. The cookies will be ready in three hours. (If your oven doesn't hold temperature, see my headnote for instructions on how to bake!)