Meringue cookies

I made these chocolate & craisin meringue cookies for my friend, Jenny, for her birthday. I’ve actually got a few recipes for this kind of thing, but this recipe in the latest issue of Dish caught my eye. I have mentioned already that I challenge myself each week to make something from each of Dish, Cuisine, Donna hay and the random box of recipes that I have cut out of other magazines. I am home alone this week, so not as much call for cooking (I have been living off the one salad all week! – see below). I had already made my other recipes from my other magazines (the cheese and spinach scone type bread from Donna Hay, crumbed fish with tomato rice and tomato salsa from Cuisine and some cheese and poppyseed muffins from Taste), so only had Dish to go. A good chance to make the cookies!

These cookies are basically a meringue that you fold some chopped chocolate, craisins (recipe called for dried sour cherries but they are rare as hen’s teeth!), cornflour and cinnamon into. You don’t cook them as long as meringues, so they remain quite soft in the middle. Jenny said they were yummy, but I felt like there was too much sugar in them – they left quite a sugary after taste I thought. But, maybe I just didn’t take my time enough when beating in the sugar? They make a nice gift though as they are easy to make and look fairly impressive.



The salad I mentioned above was based on one in Annabel Langbein’s latest book – a combination of fresh corn on the cob, flat green beans, borlotti beans, tomatoes, red peppers and lemon juice. I have been eating mine with natural yoghurt ( my favourite Cyclops brand).



Chocolate & Caisin Meringue cookies (adapted from Dish magazine)

2 egg whites
200g castor sugar
½ c chopped dark chocolate (I used Cadbury old gold 70%)
½ c chopped craisins
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cornflour

· Whip egg whites until soft peak forms
· Gradually beat in sugar until thick and meringue like
· Mix together other ingredients and fold into meringue mix
· Place spoonfuls on trays and bake at 180 celsius for 25 min
· Remove from oven and cool on trays