Cloud Cookies

2 egg whites, room temp

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp GF vanilla

½ - ¾ cup sugar or ¾ cup sugar free powdered sugar (I use Swerve brand)

1 cup (6 oz) mini chocolate chips or 1 cup (6 oz) sugar free chocolate chips, (I have not been able to find SF mini chips, so I just use SF regular size chips) (See Notes)

Beat egg whites until foamy.

Add salt, cream of tartar & vanilla.

Beat until soft peaks.

Add sugar gradually. Beat until stiff peaks.

Fold in chocolate chips. (Do this gently, so you don’t lose all the air you have just beaten into the egg whites)

 Spoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake at 200°F for 1½ hours (my preference), or bake at 300°F for 25 minutes. Cookies should be firm to touch & golden, not gooey inside. If you’re not sure, just break one open to check the inside!

Transfer to wire rack & cool. (If using sugar substitute, cool 3-4 minutes on pan, then transfer to wire rack.)

Notes:

These are actually meringue cookies, but my family started calling them cloud cookies & the name stuck!

I usually make these with mini chocolate chips. But for the holidays I use peppermint chips or crushed candy canes. You can use many different chips/candies/nuts in them, like mini M&M’s or finely chopped pecans or walnuts. You can also add a little extract for flavoring (totally or partially in place of the vanilla) & even swirl a little food coloring through the batter at the end for some color. Or you can not add any chips/candies/nuts & add about 1 tsp of cinnamon. They are a pretty versatile cookie - so make them your own!

Eggs will whip better if they are room temperature. I try to remember to set them out on the counter a few hours before I am going to use them. But if I forget, I put them in a bowl & cover them with warm (not hot) water for a few minutes. If you get even a little yoke into the egg whites when you crack them (which I have done), then they won’t whip up. Just try to be gentle when you crack the eggs.