The winter doldrums have set in and I’ve been cleaning and sorting out my house, room by room, shelf by shelf. Today I ran across a recipe I had torn out of a magazine. I remember making these 10 years ago, or more. The photo said it all. I had to make them! Since then I have taken up food photography and just wondered if I could do them justice. A kind of personal test.

And….better yet, I just have too many eggs. Courtney delivers farm fresh eggs to me every Monday. I had plenty, and completely forgot that yesterday was Monday, let alone “egg day.” Upon returning from an errand, there were my dozen eggs sitting on the window sill. So, after last night’s broccoli cheese souffle and today’s meringues I am chipping away at our egg stash. And what a delicious way to do it.

Three simple ingredients and patience. That’s all it take to have a wonderful afternoon delight to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Use the best chocolate you have in the house. It makes a difference.

Print Recipe Here

Chocolate Swirl Cookies
makes about 18
prep time: 20 minutes, plus 3 hours baking/cooling

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Melt the chocolate in a small bowl set over simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a mixer bowl. Set over the simmering water that you used for the chocolate and whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes until the whites are warm and the sugar is dissolved. Test by dipping your finger in the mixture and feeling for the sugar granules. When the mixture is warm and smooth, move to the mixer and beat on high for 4-5 minutes, until very thick and glossy. Drizzle in the chocolate and fold quickly, just to swirl the chocolate, leaving some white.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a serving spoon scoop out mounds of meringue onto the baking sheets, places them about 2-inches apart. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave in the warm oven for 2 hours. Cool 20 minutes, before serving. Store in an air-tight container.