Forgotten Meringue Cookies . . . full of chocolate bits & pecans

Crisp & crunchy on the outside, soft but
chewy on the inside — Forgotten Meringue
Cookies

After making lemon pudding, I had egg whites in the fridge and that made me think of this recipe that a former Abilene resident, Cathy Wood Osborn, served at a club meeting. I actually had 6 egg whites so tripled Cathy’s recipe. Also, 1 added the cream of tartar as it helps to stabilize the egg whites by raising the the pH of older eggs (it won't hurt to use it in fresh eggs either).
Mounds of meringue are piled onto baking sheets, placed in a hot oven that has been turned off, then the cookies are "forgotten" until the next day!

Store in an air-tight container or references say that these cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Forgotten Cookies   Yield: 30 to 36 cookies 

2 egg whites 

⅔ cup granulated sugar 

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff, and all sugar has been incorporated (stiff peaks should form at this point + if you rub a little bit of the mixture between your fingers, it should not feel grainy.)

Foamy stage.

Partially whipped stage.

Stiff peak stage.

Fold in:

   Pinch of salt 

   1 cup chopped pecans 

   1 cup chocolate chips (I used chopped chocolate instead of chips) 

   1 teaspoon vanilla 

Use a silicon spatula to carefully fold in the added ingredients. 

Preheat oven to 350°.
Drop cookies onto a parchment or silicon-lined baking sheet—create a peaked shape as cookies are dropped. 
Once cookies are in hot oven, IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE TEMPERATURE and   leave them overnight. 

Recipe without photos . . .

Forgotten Meringue Cookies   Yield: 30 to 36 cookies 

2 egg whites 

⅔ cup granulated sugar 

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff, and all sugar has been incorporated (stiff peaks should form at this point + if you rub a little bit of the mixture between your fingers, it should not feel grainy.)

Fold in:

   Pinch of salt 

   1 cup chopped pecans 

   1 cup chocolate chips (I used chopped chocolate instead of chips) 

   1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Drop cookies onto a parchment or silicon-lined baking sheet—create a peaked shape as cookies are dropped. 

Once cookies are in hot oven, IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE TEMPERATURE and   leave them overnight.