FORGOTTEN COOKIES
(MERINGUE COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND NUTS)
adapted from Zell Schulman, Something Different for Passover, 1984
One batch makes about 70 cookies. Lay them out in 5 x 7 rows on 2 cookie sheets. It's also fine to halve the recipe if you want fewer cookies.
4 egg whites
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
2 cups broken pecans (walnuts would also work)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
With electric mixer, beat egg whites until peaks begin to form. Add sugar slowly (about 2 T. at a time). Add vanilla and salt and beat until everything is very stiff and shiny.
Fold in pecans and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and place in preheated oven. These cookies don’t spread when baking, so they can be placed quite close together. Turn off the oven and "forget" the cookies until the next morning (or about 6-8 hours*). If they stick at all on the paper, run a sharp knife underneath. (On silicone mat, they come off easily with a thin spatula.)
You can store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week; it's helpful to put a sheet of waxed paper between each layer of cookies, to keep them from sticking together. For longer storage, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months (with a sheet of waxed paper between layers). If after defrosting, the cookies get sticky, you can dry them out in a 200-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
*Another recipe says leave in oven "for at least 2 hours"; and another says "at least 8 hours."
