Holiday Cookies: The Ultimate Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Treats by Alice Medrich

Author:Alice Medrich
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Artisan
Published: 2017-01-21T05:00:00+00:00

Peanut Butter Clouds

PEANUT BUTTER CLOUDS

Makes 30 to 36 meringues

Peanut butter folded into meringue makes wonderfully light, crunchy cookies that melt on the tongue with peanut flavor. Make a sundae by piling them into glasses or bowls with vanilla ice cream, sliced strawberries, and unsweetened whipped cream and consider passing a bowl of warm chocolate or caramel sauce . . . and perhaps a pinch of flaky sea salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel, or other imported or domestic salts available from specialty shops or better supermarkets. Sesame Kisses (see Upgrade) will charm any halvah lover (I’m one). They are marvelous with strawberries and ice cream too, and with a drizzle of honey.

Ingredients

3 egg whites, at room temperature

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

⅔ cup (4.625 ounces) sugar

⅓ cup (3 ounces) chunky or smooth natural (but not salted) peanut butter (see Note), well stirred before measuring, at room temperature

3 tablespoons finely chopped salted peanuts

Equipment

Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper

Pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch or larger plain or star tip (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean dry bowl. Beat at medium-high speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer (or at high speed with a handheld mixer) until the egg whites are creamy white (instead of translucent) and hold a soft shape when the beaters are lifted. Continue to beat on medium-high speed, adding the sugar a little at a time, taking 1½to 2 minutes in all, until the whites are very stiff. Scatter small spoonfuls of peanut butter over the meringue. With a large rubber spatula, fold until the peanut butter is imperfectly blended into the meringue; you should see some streaks of white meringue and unmixed peanut butter.

Drop rounded tablespoons of meringue—or use the pastry bag to pipe any size and shape you like—1½ inches apart onto the lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle each meringue with a pinch of the chopped peanuts. Bake for 1½hours. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Remove a test meringue and let it cool completely before taking a bite. (Meringues are never crisp when hot.) If the meringue is completely dry and crisp, turn off the heat and let the remaining meringues cool completely in the oven. If the test meringue is soft or chewy or sticks to your teeth, bake for another 15 to 20 minutes before testing another meringue.

To prevent the cookies from becoming moist and sticky, put them in an airtight container as soon as they are cool. The meringues may be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

Upgrade

Sesame Kisses: Add ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ¾teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water to the egg whites with the cream of tartar. Substitute ⅓ cup (3 ounces) well-stirred tahini (preferably roasted, not raw), at room temperature, mixed with ⅛ teaspoon salt for the peanut butter.

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