If you crave cookies but don’t mind passing on dense buttery richness, try these light, sweet Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. They consist of just the basics: sugar, chocolate and nuts, held together in a meringue cloud.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies on a glass plate atop a lace table runner

The holidays are over. We have just followed a celebration featuring homemade pies with a month of cookie baking marathons. Now our focus has turned from festive entertaining to diet plans and exercise equipment. I understand. It only makes sense after all of that feasting. To everything there is a season.

Still, even in a season when less is more, there are occasions that call for something sweet. Homemade cookies can be a perfect light dessert. They are enough to say “I made something special”, “I’ve been thinking of you” or “Let’s linger at the table and talk for a while.” They can be a lovely garnish to a simple dish of fruit or a pretty counterpoint to a cup of good coffee. They offer punctuation to an occasion, adding conclusion or exclamation without overindulging.

On those occasions, when I’m cutting back but still want something special, I don’t mind passing on dense buttery richness. Instead, I am likely to turn toward something light and sweet, and probably chocolate. Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies fit the bill perfectly.

Meringue in the Family

Meringue has been a long time favorite in my family. Many of the dessert recipes handed down to me by aunts and cousins include a layer of meringue. And why not? Meringue is simple. It is frugal. Made from only egg whites and sugar, the ingredients are almost always on hand. And while utterly practical meringue is fanciful too, responsive to a flourish, an artful plop or swipe with knife or spatula. When baked, those swirling mounds of frothy egg whites, kissed with golden browned peaks, are undeniably pretty.

Cousin Alvine’s recipe for Bread Pudding calls for a topping of frothy golden meringue. One of Aunt Hen’s favorite recipes, Meringue That Won’t Weep, topped her Lemon Meringue Pie and sometimes chocolate pies too. She also used a crunchier meringue, with chopped nuts stirred in, as a crust for her delicious Angel Pie.

When Less is More

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies is attributed to my mother. It gets down to basics. It contains no butter … or flour for that matter. It is basically sugar, chocolate and nuts, held together in a cloud of whipped egg whites. What’s more, meringue cookies are easy to prepare and because this recipe uses only a few ingredients it is often something I can make without having to run to the grocery.

While simple to make, these little cookies have a lot to offer. They are crunchy at first bite as your teeth break through the crispy exterior. Inside the meringue is chewier, holding the chocolate and nuts in a soft embrace. Altogether, they combine a number of flavor notes in a package that satisfies on its own but also works well with other thoughtful conclusions to a meal.

The only trick to baking meringue cookies is finding a relatively dry day in the Pacific Northwest. Dry days are known to be optimal for working with meringue. Often, though, I just go ahead and risk making them anyway. If they are eaten quickly the weather doesn’t matter as much and with Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies that is usually not much of a problem.