Brown Sugar Meringue Cookies

Brown Sugar Meringue Cookies
makes 36 (1 ½-inch cookies)

Unlike my friends, these cookies are meant to impress with little effort. -Libbie Summers

What you need:
4 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup dark brown sugar, loosely packed
½ teaspoon salt

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 200º F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make Meringue: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and whip on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and increase speed to medium-high whipping until the whites hold a soft peak. With the mixer running, add the brown sugar just a little at a time until fully incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the meringue holds a very stiff peak.

3. Bake Cookies: Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (1/2-inch). Pipe the meringue onto the baking sheets. Bake for 2 hours (rotating the baking sheets halfway through), then crack the door (I put a wooden spatula in the door to hold it open) and leave the meringues to finish drying in the oven for a few more hours or overnight.

Cookies will store beautifully in an airtight container for several days.

Photography: Andy Lyons
Recipe by Libbie Summers from her book, Brown Sugar (short stack editions)