Puffs 'o Fun

Well, they're puffy. And the concept is kind of fun, right? So doesn't Puffs 'o Fun sound better than Chocolate Almond Meringues? Ok, I guess it all depends on who you're serving these to.

I was catching up on a cooking show that I often miss, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger (check out the nutrition info after the recipe - not bad!). She made these and I had to try them. Today.

I whipped these beauties up during naptime, it literally took minutes, and I love them! I've never been a big fan of meringue - don't care for it on pie because it just tastes like egg to me...on pie. I always thought that store bought meringue cookies had the texture of Styrofoam, and biting into them made my skin crawl.

These, however, are different. The almond extract and bittersweet chocolate are a great combo, erasing the egg taste. Since I'd never played around with meringue before, I learned after the fact that I didn't whip these at a high enough speed (or perhaps it's my dumpy mixer), so my "puffs" actually ended up too soft. But the flavor was still really, really good. I'm definitely going to try these again and see if I can get it right.

Maybe tomorrow.

The kids loved these, so hence the name change. But you could serve these as a light, "fancy" treat with some baby/bridal shower food and you might impress some people - simply because they're different. And that good.

And finally, an update on my dad. He's been feeling much better the last few days, and even got in a couple one-mile runs to ease back into his routine. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for him - I'm so relieved that he's feeling better and this was so short-lived.

Chocolate Almond Meringues

Ellie Krieger

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup superfine (caster) sugar*
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 ounces (1/4c) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 60% CACAO chocolate chips and chopped them up)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy. Add sugar and almond extract beat on high until meringues hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate gently until just incorporated. Using a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, pipe meringue by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Transfer to an airtight container.

*You can make your own superfine sugar by placing sugar in a food processor and processing on high for 30 to 45 seconds (this is what I did - worked great).

One Serving = 4 Meringues
Calories 120; Total Fat 3.5 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 1 g, Poly Fat 0 g) ; Protein 3 g; Carb 21 g; Fiber 1 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 35 mg