EATING WELL'S LAVA ROCKS

Every Wednesday, I look forward to reading our local newspaper's food section. Most of the time, I'm disappointed with the recipes listed. But, occasionally, I find a gem. This recipe, posted in November, originated from EatingWell magazine.

I had 1 egg white left over from something I made, and this recipe was perfect for using it-- that is, after I cut it to 1/3. (The original recipe called for 3 egg whites. ) You're going to need your kitchen scale for this one, (to weigh the chocolate and nuts) and the recipe as I've adapted it only makes 9 cookies. (I've printed the full recipe below.)

These babies rock! Thanks to the nuts, they're nicely chewy on the inside, with just enough chocolate to satisfy your chocolate craving. They're sweet, but don't hurt your teeth. I didn't have the cocoa nibs called for but I didn't miss them. It's not often you find a satisfying low-fat cookie, so this is one to put in your recipe bank.

Lava Rocks

Adapted 1/3 Batch from Eating Well Magazine

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 3/4 cup 10X (powdered) sugar
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
pinch of sea salt
1 large egg white, room temperature
1/4 tsp. vanilla paste (or pure vanilla extract)
2.3 oz. pecans, well chopped and toasted
1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated

Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, flour and salt. Beat in the egg white using low speed of electric mixer. Add vanilla and beat for 1-1/2 minutes on high, scraping sides of bowl. Fold in pecans & chocolate. Spoon dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, about 2" apart. Bake till dry and glossy on surface, but soft at centers when pressed, 15-17 minutes. Cool cookies in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 9 cookies.

Here's the full recipe:
2-1/4 cups 10X sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. flour
Generous pinch salt
3 egg whites
3/4 tsp. vanilla paste or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
7 oz. pecans (about 2 cups)
1-1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
4 tsp. cocoa nibs (I omitted)

ALISON'S CHEWY CHAI MERINGUE COOKIES

This recipe won a local cookie recipe contest in Austin, Texas, and was featured on cookiemadness.net blog. The recipe calls for 4 egg whites, and I only had 3, so I did some quick math and changed the measurements. I was a bit worried about the cloves, as I thought they were going to overpower the other flavors; but when the cookies baked up, the flavors were perfect and really quite mild. This recipe has everything in it to ensure success: cornstarch, cream of tartar and really no liquid except for the small amount of vinegar. Still, it's best not to try these on a humid day. The humidity levels here in New Bern were 41% inside, 31% outside today, so it was a good day to make these. They puff up nicely but don't spread too much. Meringues are not very pretty to look at, but the taste of these is divine. They're light as air and just slightly crunchy, and slightly chewy inside with all the surprise flavors to greet your teeth as you chomp down. You can make them a little nicer to look at if you spoon the batter into a resealable plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off and a star tube inserted in the hole. Really, try these. They are wonderful cookies. Thank you Alison!

Alison's Chewy Chai Meringue Cookies
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup 10X sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/8 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. ginger
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup white chocolate chips (Sam's Choice at Wal-Mart is good stuff.)
1/2 cup toasted finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)
3 egg whites, room temperature or slightly warm
3/16 tsp. cream of tartar
pinch of sea salt
3/8 cup superfine sugar
3/4 tsp. white or rice vinegar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 300 F. In small bowl, sift together the first 5 ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and nuts and mix together. Set aside. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt till stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gradually add the superfine sugar and beat till glossy and stiff. Add the vinegar, stir once, then fold in the powdered sugar mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for about 30 minutes or till meringues are set and just beginning to turn golden around the edges. Remove to cake rack to finish cooling completely. Yield: About 32 cookies that are delicately crusty on the outside and very slightly chewy on the inside. These freeze well.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MERINGUES

Meringues are temperamental creatures and must be treated carefully to avoid disappointments. Meringues have two basic enemies: fat and moisture. Following are some tips to help you create light meringues that do not deflate.

1. Do not bake meringues on humid days. Check the humidity outside and inside before you
bake. Do not bake if humidity is above 50%.

2. Do not touch the meringue mixture with your fingers, if possible. The oil on your fingers will
help the meringue to deflate. Use two spoons to put batter onto cookie sheets, instead of one
spoon with your finger pushing the batter off.

3. Cornstarch will help hold the meringue together, even if it's somewhat humid, but a better
plan is to bake when weather is not humid.

4. Cream of tartar and cornstarch are both stabilizers for meringues. Cream of tartar should
be added to the egg whites before you start beating them. For every 4 egg whites,
use 1 Tbsp. cornstarch. This can be added by first dissolving into 1/3 cup cold water, then
heating and stirring till thickened. Set aside to cool and add to meringue after the sugar,
adding 1 Tbsp. at a time. Or the cornstarch can be sifted with powdered sugar and folded in
at the end.

5. The best meringues are made with a mixture of superfine sugar (caster sugar) and
confectioner's sugar 10X. Granulated sugar can be made into superfine sugar in the food
processor very easily.

6. Egg whites must be room temperature or slightly warmed to get them to whip up with
volume. Cold egg whites will not whip up. When egg whites are ready to whip, they will look
more liquiddy and clear -- the cloudy look will be gone.

7. If you have any tips to add, or have more questions about meringues, please leave a
comment on this post.