Aunt Pauline's Forgotten Meringue Cookies

My Aunt Pauline was an authentic West Texas character, who came of age during the Great Depression. If you had ever met her, you would not soon forget her. One thing long remembered about her, even though she has been gone for many years, was that she knew how to delight a shy little niece with tips on how to be an elegant hostess, sharing a few special recipes. This is one of those.

I used to marvel at how a couple of eggs, a rotary hand mixer and quite a bit of elbow-grease could make such a delicate concoction. Fortunately, these days, one has an electric mixer to do the heavy work.

The name "Forgotten Cookies" comes from being able to put them in the oven, turn off the heat and forget about them until later - even over night. This is a real plus during the hub-bub of Christmas and other busy family times. It's a great way to utilize the heat from an oven that was just used to cook a holiday meal or other baked goods. Just be sure to rescue them from the oven before preheating the oven for its next use.

Another great thing about these cookies is that they are light. You don't feel weighed down after eating them. As a Christmas time treat, they are an excellent break from heavier fare.

Aunt Pauline's Forgotten Cookies

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
pinch of salt
2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts (pecans)
1 cup chocolate or butterscotch morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat 2 egg whites and pinch salt until foamy or stiff.
Gradually beat in 2/3 cups of sugar.
Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup nuts and 1 cup morsels.
Place by spoonfuls on foil-covered cookie sheet(s).
Place in oven and turn OFF heat.
Allow cookies to remain in oven at least 2 hours or over night.