Forgotten Cookies

This recipes was shared by Kiwi WWOOF Hosts as a part of Kelsey's fieldwork in Coastal Otago. The recipe is a Christmas favourite among the Host family, and often made to use up egg whites after making passionfruit curd with the yolks. The addition of ginger and dark chocolate sets it apart from other Forgotten cookie recipes.

Ingredidents

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch fine salt

Flavour Combination 1:

1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Flavour Combination 2:

1 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Flavour Combination 2:

1 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with foil and grease it with butter.
Beat the egg whites until foamy. You can do this by hand with a whisk, but it's much faster to use a hand mixer or a standing mixer on medium speed.
Gradually add the sugar and continue beating the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Add the vanilla and salt. Blend well.
Using a spatula, fold in the flavour combination ingredients of choice by hand.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Put the cookies in the preheated oven and then turn the oven off.
Leave the cookies in the oven overnight, keeping the door closed so the heat doesn't escape too quickly, for about 10 hours.

Note:

It's important to store leftover forgotten cookies in an airtight container.
Meringue likes to suck moisture from the air making the cookies sticky. Keeping them in a tight container helps keep moist air out.
Let the cookies cool and then store them in a container on the counter for up to a week, sometimes longer.
For longer storage, place cooled cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.