
| Christmas Cranberry Cookies
1/4 teaspoon of margarine Flour for dusting pan 3 Egg whites at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup of finely-chopped hazelnuts 1/4 cup of dried cranberries or dried chopped dates |
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Preheat the oven to 120ºC./250ºF. Position a cooking rack in the lower third of the oven. Lightly grease a 20cm square baking tray with the margarine and dust with flour. Make sure all your bowls and beating utensils are completely clean and dry. Beat the egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, turn the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and then gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Remove half the meringue and set aside. Quickly beat the cocoa into the remaining meringue. Spread the chocolate meringue evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the cranberries and a third of the hazelnuts. Pipe wide stripes of white meringue over the chocolate. If you don't have a pastry bag, spoon the white meringue on top and smooth carefully into stripes. Dip a rubber spatula in water and gently smooth completely all over the top, striving not to mix the two layers, and sprinkle with the remaining nuts. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, using a thin wet knife, cut the mixture into 24 squares. Return to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn off the heat and let the cookies sit for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week. Converted by MC_Buster. NOTES : Makes 24 Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l. |