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Santa Snowflakes:
Low-Fat Christmas Cookies

Santa Snowflakes are meringues, made with egg whites and sugar beaten until stiff and then baked in a very low oven. With no butter, margarine, or oil and an absence of egg yolks, the recipe’s only fat comes from crushed nuts and miniature chocolate chips. The cookies contain no flour and are gluten-free. The cookies are white with tiny ridges and bumps. The light, puffy texture is reminiscent of snowflakes, hence their name.

Santa Snowflakes

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Bake time: overnight

Makes about 60-70 drop cookies

Ingredients

2 egg whites, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon almond flavoring

1 cup finely crushed pecans or almonds

1 cup semisweet miniature chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Separate egg whites from egg yolks, being careful not to break yolks. Set yolks aside to use in another recipe.

  3. In a dry, medium bowl on very high speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Peaks will be bright white when stiff. You can set beaters in mixture, lift them out, and egg white peaks will remain formed.

  4. Continue to beat egg whites at a high speed as you gradually add granulated sugar, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time. After sugar is incorporated, blend in almond flavoring.

  5. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in nuts and miniature chocolate chips to the meringue.

  6. Drop meringue by scent teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

  7. Place baking sheets in the oven. Turn off oven. Leave cookies in the oven overnight.

  8. In the morning, remove baking sheets from the oven. Cookies will be crisp and dry. They will slip easily off the parchment paper. Store them in an airtight container.

A Special Tip from The Elf

Before preparing Santa Snowflakes – or any other meringue – double check bowls, beaters, and spatula to make sure they are completely clean and dry. Both egg whites and sugar molecules attract water. Water inhibits proteins from breaking down as egg whites are beaten. That’s why plastic, wet, or greasy bowls and beaters often prevent meringue from forming stiff peaks. Wipe bowls and utensils with a wedge of lemon to remove any traces of grease and dry thoroughly with a paper towel before beginning to make meringue.


The Elf Recommends More Yummy Low Fat Cookies

Mint Puffs: low fat Christmas cookies - meringues ...


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