Chocolate-Orange Meringue Cookies

Wandering around a grocery store for an hour can give you ideas...

And make you extremely hungry.

During yesterday's prolonged excursion, I noticed a stack of those chocolate-orange balls. You know, the ones you smash open?

Aww yeah... let out your frustration and then eat it, too.

Then: what if you stuck it in-- gasp!-- a cookie?!

Thus these babies were born:

Chocolate-Orange Meringue Cookies

3 egg whites, brought to room temperature

3/4 cup powdered or finely granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp orange oil

Food coloring (red and yellow)

Dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer (or handmixer, if you have awesome arm-holding-up endurance), beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar to the eggs. Then, slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in the orange oil and some food coloring. Place the batter/dough into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the top cut off. Pipe dots, flowers, letters-- whatever makes you happy-- onto the parchment paper. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Once the cookies look dry and VERY lightly browned, remove and allow to cool. Melt chocolate in a pastry bag (careful not to burn the chocolate if using a microwave), and drizzle over the top of the cookies. Allow cookies to sit out for a few hours to dry. Then dig in!