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Light, crispy, and melt-on-your-tongue, these Low-Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies are a delightful treat any time of year, but in my house, they’re Easter cookies. These chocolate-studded baked meringues are made without flour, butter, oil, or artificial ingredients, making them the perfect gluten-free, low-fat, healthy chocolate chip cookies you never knew existed!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
After abstaining from dessert during the entirety of Lent, I have to be careful not to overdo it on feeding my sweet tooth by the time Easter rolls around. These yummy little low-calorie, low-fat chocolate chip cookies are the perfect solution!
These chocolate chip meringues – also known as “pedos de monja” (nun’s farts 😂) – are white, airy, and loaded with little chocolate chip surprises in each bite. Aside from being light as a cloud with just the right amount of sweetness, these chocolate chip meringue cookies are also:
- Quick & Easy – Made with just 3 simple steps and only 10 minutes of active prep work, my no-flour chocolate chip cookies are as easy as it gets!
- Made With Only 7 Ingredients – A short ingredient list means fewer things to forget at the store.
- Healthier Than Regular Chocolate Chip Cookies – These naturally gluten-free, low-calorie, lower-fat chocolate chip cookies are perfect for just about any diet. One cookie will only set you back about 37 calories!
- Allergen-Friendly – Made without nuts, soy, grains, or dairy, chocolate chip meringues are an ideal dessert for almost any audience.
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you only need 7 simple, easy-to-find ingredients to make these meringue cookies with chocolate chips:
- Egg Whites – Separate your eggs while they’re still cold from the fridge to prevent the yolks from breaking, but let the egg whites come to room temperature for faster beating.
- Cream of Tartar – This white, powdery substance is acidic, which helps to stabilize the meringue mixture. Feel free to swap in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or light vinegar instead.
- Salt – Just a touch of seasoning helps to keep these no-flour cookies well-balanced instead of cloyingly sweet.
- Vanilla Extract – For added richness and complexity. Feel free to swap in an equal amount of vanilla powder or half as much ground vanilla bean.
- Superfine Sugar – Also known as “caster sugar,” this ingredient is perfect for dissolving sugar into a perfect meringue. If you don’t have any on hand, simply blend granulated sugar in a food processor or a high-powered blender until the grains are minuscule.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips – I like to use mini chocolate chips to get yummy bites of chocolate flecked throughout the entire cookie, but feel free to use regular-sized chips instead.
- Chopped Nuts – Optional, but delicious for added texture and richness.
How To Make Meringue Cookies
These easy meringue cookies do not require any special skills or equipment. Just make sure you don’t get a single speck of egg yolk in the egg whites — that’s about as complicated as it gets!
Step 1: Prep. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Make Meringue Mixture. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt together in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add vanilla, mixing to combine. Add the sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (if using).
Step 3: Bake. Drop teaspoonfuls or batter 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until dry, about 25 minutes.
Step 4: Cool & Store. Let the meringues cool slightly before removing them from the paper. Set on a rack to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.
Optional Variations
As much as we love these chocolate chip egg white cookies, there are plenty of ways you can customize them to your liking. Here are just a few variations to keep in mind:
- Vegan Meringues – Swap in aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) in place of egg whites for a completely plant-based treat.
- Add Color – Use food coloring powder or gel to add a festive flair to these Easter cookies. You can also color-coordinate them with other holidays or celebrations as needed!
- Swap Extracts – Try using almond, coffee, or berry extract instead of vanilla. You can also use different flavors of bitters if you like.
- Different Add-Ins – Different types of chips (e.g. peanut butter, butterscotch, toffee), different nuts, and/or freeze-dried fruits can all be folded into the meringue batter.
Expert Tips
- No Yolks Allowed – The most challenging part about making meringues is that you can’t let any fat (including egg yolks or any grease leftover on your mixing bowls or beaters) get into the whites. I suggest you set up a station with 3 small bowls — 1 to crack the egg into, one to hold the whites you accumulate, and one to hold the yolks. I also find that if you separate the eggs while they’re still cold from the fridge, you’re less likely to break the yolks.
- Don’t Overwhip – While you want to keep on beating your egg whites until they’re glossy and have firm peaks, don’t overdo it! Overmixing the whites causes the proteins to break down and can cause your meringue to weep out liquid and collapse.
- Humidity Is NOT Your Friend – In order to achieve perfectly crisp exteriors that melt when they hit your tongue, you need a total absence of liquid. Make sure to cool the meringues thoroughly before storing them, or the residual steam will turn them into a stale, chewy mess.
- Use an Oven Thermometer – Meringues are pretty easy to make, but ovens often lie. You want to hit 300F or the meringues won’t dry out quickly enough, causing them to collapse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, no. Pasteurized egg whites in a carton simply won’t be able to trap enough air to become a light and fluffy meringue. That said, powdered egg whites do work!
Wait until they are COMPLETELY cooled, then store in an airtight zip-top bag or container, preferably with a silica packet in to ward off any humidity. They should keep well at room temperature for about a week.
It sounds like they were either underbaked or exposed to humidity. Try popping them back in the oven for a few minutes at a time to dry them out.
More Easter Recipes & Crafts
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #muybuenocooking.
Low-Calorie Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Light, crispy, and melt-on-your-tongue, these Low-Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies are a delightful treat any time of year, but in my house, they’re Easter cookies. These chocolate-studded baked meringues are made without flour, butter, oil, or artificial ingredients, making them the perfect gluten-free, low-fat, healthy chocolate chip cookies you never knew existed!
-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
-
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt together in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add vanilla. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (optional).
-
Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased parchment paper laid on a cookie sheet. Bake until dry, about 25 minutes.
-
Let cool slightly before removing from paper. Set on rack to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.
- No Yolks Allowed – The most challenging part about making meringues is that you can’t let any fat (including egg yolks or any grease leftover on your mixing bowls or beaters) get into the whites. I suggest you set up a station with 3 small bowls — 1 to crack the egg into, one to hold the whites you accumulate, and one to hold the yolks. I also find that if you separate the eggs while they’re still cold from the fridge, you’re less likely to break the yolks.
- Don’t Overwhip – While you want to keep on beating your egg whites until they’re glossy and have firm peaks, don’t overdo it! Overmixing the whites causes the proteins to break down and can cause your meringue to weep out liquid and collapse.
- Humidity Is NOT Your Friend – In order to achieve perfectly crisp exteriors that melt when they hit your tongue, you need a total absence of liquid. Make sure to cool the meringues thoroughly before storing them, or the residual steam will turn them into a stale, chewy mess. If possible, consider using a leftover silica packet from a new pair of shoes to keep them nice and dry in storage.
- Use an Oven Thermometer – Meringues are pretty easy to make, but ovens often lie. You want to hit 300F or the meringues won’t dry out quickly enough, causing them to collapse.
Calories: 37kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 22mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: March 2013
