Snow Caps

These snow cap meringues are the holiday cookie that earns its name from the white chocolate dip on top, like fresh snow on a chocolate-flecked dome. Three egg whites and ¾ cup of sugar bake into 72 cookies, which is one of the best yield-to-effort ratios in the cookie world.

The low oven and the closed-door rest are the two non-skippable steps. At 200°F (95°C), the meringues dry rather than bake. Higher heat browns them and turns them chewy. After the 2-hour bake, leaving them in the closed oven for another 3 to 4 hours pulls out the last of the moisture so they store crisp.

Folding in the chocolate chips at the very end keeps the egg whites stable. Vigorous stirring deflates the meringue and gives you flat, dense cookies instead of airy domes. A light folding motion with a rubber spatula is what you want.

Pro Tips

• Use room-temperature egg whites. Cold whites take longer to whip and reach less volume than whites at 70°F (21°C).
• Avoid any trace of yolk. Even a drop of fat will prevent the whites from whipping to stiff peaks.
• Add sugar one tablespoon at a time as directed. Dumping all the sugar in at once weighs down the whites and slows whipping.
• Don’t bake on a humid day. Meringues absorb ambient moisture and turn soft and tacky no matter how long you dry them.

Variations

• Skip the white chocolate dip and drizzle dark chocolate over the cooled cookies for a different look.
• Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract instead of vanilla and crush peppermint candies on top of the dipped chocolate for a holiday version.
• Swap chocolate chips for mini chocolate chips for a more even chip-to-meringue ratio.