Heavenly Eggnog Cookies

## Book Reference

Lake Eden's Cookbook

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

*(Not a misprint -- that's two hundred seventy-five degrees F.)*

**Hannah's 1st Note:** *Don't even THINK about making these it it's raining or humid. Meringue does best on very dry days*. (*Winter in Minnesota is usually dry, so they're perfect for the holiday season*.)

### Ingredients

* 3 egg whites *(save the yolks to add to scrambled eggs the next morning)*
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/2 teaspoon rum extract *(you can also use real rum)*
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg *(if you use jarred ground nutmeg make sure it's fresh)*
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup white *(granulated)* sugar
* 2 Tablespoons flour *(that's 1/8 cup)*
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans *(chopped almonds or walnuts are also good)*

### Directions

* Separate the egg whites (from the yolks if you have already done that) and let them come up to room temperature. This will give you more volume when you beat them.
* Prepare you baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper *(works best)* or brand new brown parcel-wrapping paper. Spray the paper with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray and dust it lightly with flour. You can also use baking spray *(the kind with flour in it)* and eliminate the dusting-with-flour step.
* Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, rum extract, nutmeg, and salt until they are stiff enough to hold a soft peak.

**Hannah's 2nd Note:** *To test for soft peaks, just shut off your mixer and tap the egg white mixture with the flat side of your rubber spatula. If the mixture forms a little peak when you remove the spatula and the tip of the peak bends over like a blade of grass in the wind, it's ready and you can go on to the next step.*

* Add the cup of sugar gradually, sprinkling it in by quarter cupfuls and then turning the mixer on HIGH speed. Beat hard for ten seconds or so after each sprinkling.
* Shut off the mixer and sprinkle in the flour. Turn on the mixer at LOW speed and mix it in. You can also remove the bowl from the mixer at this point an fold in the flour with a mixing spoon or rubber spatula.
* By hand, with a mixing spoon or a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chopped pecans. The object here is not to lose the air you've beaten into the egg whites.
* Drop little spoonfuls of dough on your paper-line cookie sheet with a teaspoon. (Lisa and I use a melon scooper at The Cookie Jar.) If you place four mounds in a row and you have five rows, you'll end up with 20 cookies per sheet.
* Bake at 275 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the meringue part of the cookie is firm to the touch and the cookies turn a nice golden color.
* Cool the Heavenly Eggnog Cookies on the paper-lined cookie sheet by setting it on a wire rack. When the cookies are completely cool, peel them carefully from the paper and store them in an airtight container in a dry place.

**Hannah's 3rd Note:**  *Your refrigerator is NOT a dry place*!

***Yield:***  3 to 4 dozen delicious cookies that have the taste even though they don't have any egg yolks inside.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.