Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
As someone who eats a mostly vegan diet, there are some foods I’ve learned to live without. Cheese is an excellent example. Yes, there are plenty of vegan alternatives, ranging from cashew-based “cheese” to daiya to nutritional yeast, among many others. And while I can appreciate these substitutions in their own right, there is simply nothing like melty mozzarella or stinky blue cheese. And that’s fine. I personally feel my best when I’m not eating real cheese.
Meringue, on the other hand, is something I’ve missed dearly. As a topping for pie and in cookie form, I have always loved meringue. But when I became more serious about eliminating animal products from my food choices about a year ago, I sort of just accepted the fact that there wasn’t a good vegan alternative for egg whites. Chia and flax eggs are great, but they’ll only get you so far.
And then last week, after passing by the Ener-G egg replacer so many times before, I finally decided to give it a try. I was so impressed with the texture it allowed me to achieve for the marshmallow topping on my s’mores cupcakes, I knew I had to attempt to make a batch of meringue cookies.
Crispy little cookies that are so light they almost resemble bites of air, yet are somehow so satisfying.
I added a little cocoa powder, some chopped up chocolate chips, and a splash of mint extract, combining my love for mint chocolate chip ice cream and meringues all into one. The flavor possibilities are endless.
I think I can go ahead and cross meringue cookies off my list of non-vegan foods I miss.
| Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies |
- 3 Tbs. Ener-G Egg Replacer
- 1/2 C. Water
- 1/4 C. Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 C. Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp. Mint Extract
- 1/2 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 C. Chocolate Chips, chopped (mini chocolate chips would be perfect)
- Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, combine the egg replacer and water. Slowly turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whip for 5 minutes.
- Keeping the mixer on high, slowly sprinkle in the sugar and continue to whip for 5 more minutes. The mixture will significantly increase in volume, resembling fluffy egg whites.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the cocoa powder.
- Once combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the mint and vanilla extracts and pieces of chocolate chips and using a spatula, gently fold to combine.
- Using a cookie dough scoop or heaping tablespoons, drop the fluffy mixture onto your prepared baking sheet. You do not need to leave a lot of space between each cookie, but they should not be touching.
- Bake for 35 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies after about 30 minutes to make sure the edges don’t burn.
- Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to stay there until the oven has cooled. This will help them to dry out and create a perfectly crispy texture.
- Store in a container at room temperature.
