Recipe: Light and crunchy hazelnut meringues

Ingredients

4 egg whites, at room temperature
1ml kosher salt, finely ground
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
210g (1 cup) castor sugar
125g chocolate chips
200g blanched hazelnuts
Edible gold leaf, torn into small pieces, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C. Line 4 baking trays with baking paper.

2. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl using an electric mixer until frothy. Add the salt and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla, then the castor sugar a few tablespoons at a time, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

3. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, followed by the hazelnuts, taking care not to deflate the meringue mixture.

4. Drop tablespoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking trays, spacing them about 4cm apart.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, then switch the oven off, leaving the cookies inside for a few hours until completely cool. Serve sprinkled with edible gold leaf.

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