Chocolate Chip Meringues

3 egg whites

 ¼ tsp. Cream of tartar

 Pinch of sea salt

 ¾ cup sugar

 3 tbsp. Unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa

 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

 ¾ tsp. Peppermint extract

 5 very finely crushed peppermint candies (or 2 ½ candy canes)

Preheat the oven to 250*F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with an electric mixer on high until foamy. In a separate bowl combine the sugar and cocoa. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the egg whites, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and crushed candies. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip. Pipe 30 cookies, ¼ inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 1½ hours. Don't peek! Opening the oven door can cause a drastic temperature drop and can result in flat meringues.

Turn the oven off, and let the cookies cool in the oven for 1 hour. Store in a tightly sealed container.

-Adrianna Anderson