Chocolate Chewies

I cut out this recipes ages ago from the L.A. Times because it was similar to something I had attempted to make that didn't end well.  My problem with that was trying to make a meringue cookie that could hold large pieces of nuts.  This is more like a macaroon, hence the Passover label (assuming you find KLP powdered sugar).

The good news is that the only fat in the cookies is from the nuts, and the egg whites provide protein.  There are still over 100 calories per cookie, but that's to be expected in a cookie.

The recipe is from the Torrance Bakery, and they seem to have an odd sense of a rounded teaspoon.  I did tablespoons and still came up with more than the specified number of cookies.  My guess is they're using a purple scoop, which is a very good size for portioning cookies.  Go to a restaurant supply store and a rainbow of scoops in standardized sizes will present itself to you.  While it's temping to buy one of each, I recommend the purple for cookies and yellow for ice cream or muffin batter.  Get a green if you do a lot of barbecues with potato salad.

And I finally used the last of the Costco walnuts my mom bought!  Not confessing to the expiration date.  They lived in a ziplock in the freezer, so they weren't rancid, but they were pretty stale if you tried to eat them on their own.

Also in my freezer was a summer's worth of egg whites left over from ice cream and the hollandaise.  If you don't have such a stash, buy a carton of them in the market.  They're usually next to the Egg Beaters.

*1 C egg whites
1-3/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
5-1/2 C powdered sugar
*1 lb walnut pieces (I bashed them into large-chop size)

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  This time, I'm advocating the parchment instead of the Silpat.  I tried both, and got a more even bake out of the paper.

2.  Mix together the egg whites, cocoa, salt, and sugar on medium speed (with the paddle, if using a stand mixer) until the batter is stiff and all ingredients are well-incorporated, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the nuts by hand or with the paddle attachment on a low speed.

3.  Place the batter by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheet, working in batches.  Bake until the cookies are a bit shiny and slightly cracked, 10 minutes.  They will look underdone, but do not overbake.  Allow to rest on parchment for 5 minutes, then carefully peel off and transfer to cooling rack.

Makes 4 dozen

Difficulty rating  π