Divinity Surprise Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Delicate meringue confections add a festive touch to any holiday cookie platter. Flavored with mint and filled with mini chocolate chips, these sweet treats are irresistible.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time8 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: - 36

Calories: 31kcal

Author: Abbey McDermott

Equipment

Ingredients

2 large egg whites room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
½-¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon mint extract
½ cup mini chocolate chips
green and red food coloring gel

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375℉ degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until thick and foamy.
With the mixer running, gradually add ½ cup sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Allow the sugar time to fully dissolve before adding more sugar. The mixture should be thick with stiff peaks. If necessary, add the remaining ¼ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture has stiff peaks.
Add mint extract and blend. Transfer half of the egg white mixture to another bowl. Add green food coloring to one bowl and red food coloring to the other. bowl. Fold gently to incorporate. Fold half of the chocolate chips into each mixture.
Using a small scoop or spoon, drop mounds of the mixture on the prepared baking sheets. Place the pans in the oven and turn the oven off. Leave for 8 hours. Do not open the oven door during this time. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

Equipment:

A stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer is best for making easier work of whipping egg whites.
Use a very clean bowl. Any grease in the bowl prevents the egg whites from whipping up to their full volume. Glass or metal bowls are best.

Eggs:

Use room-temperature egg whites. Cold egg whites will not whip up well and won't have as much volume as room-temperature eggs.
When separating the eggs, do so carefully to make sure no egg yolk gets in the whites. Even a drop of yolk can prevent the egg whites from whipping up well.

Preparation:

Add the sugar slowly - 1 tablespoon at a time. Make sure the sugar is dissolved before adding more. This will result in a smooth meringue.
Check to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a bit of the meringue between your fingers. If it feels gritty, the sugar hasn't dissolved completely.
Stop whipping the egg whites when they reach the stiff peaks stage. This means the meringue stands up when the whisk is lifted out of the meringue.

Baking:

No peeking in the oven! Once the cookies go in the oven, the oven door needs to stay shut until the cookies are done. A sudden change in temperature can cause the meringue to crack.
Make these cookies at night when you won't be using the oven. This recipe calls for turning the oven off as soon as the cookies are put in. The cookies slowly bake and set up as the oven cools. This takes 8 hours, so it's handy to do this overnight.

Nutrition