Call me a romantic … I was first drawn to these Forgotten Cookies because of its name. My dear sister-in-law Gerry gifted me with Nigella’s Cookbook “At My Table” for Christmas and when I first saw this recipe in there, I was immediately intrigued.

What are Forgotten Cookies? Why were they forgotten? Who forgot them? Is there a forgotten love story behind these cookies? Has someone forgotten how to love? Could they really forget their first love? Ok, the latter few could be just my Kdrama DNA kicking in 😄..

So what is a Forgotten Cookie?

Truth be told, I am still looking for that nostalgic forget-me-not love story behind this cookie. Romanticism aside, IMHO  the name is probably inspired by the simple fact that someone inadvertently left whipped egg whites in a switched off hot oven and discovered how they became great tasting cookies the day after.

You’d have probably guessed by now … a Forgotten Cookie is a cross between a meringue and a cookie. Some call them Merookies. Why forgotten? Because these cookies are baked for a short spurt and then left ‘forgotten’ in a heated,  switched off oven to dry overnight. Once they are well dried out, the whipped egg whites transform into golden, soft centered, delicious meringue beauties with dark chocolate chips.

And there is the other most wonderful thing about these Forgotten Cookies … they are absolutely gluten free, dairy free and almost guilt free 😊! I made these with pistachios and mini dark chocolate chips and they were simply delicious. Nutty, chewy, chocolatey with just a kick of spice & saltiness from the cardamom and pistachios.

Soft centered, nutty & chewy …

Forgotten Cookies is a simple recipe. Simply whip up the meringue, add in pistachios, chocolate chips and spice and it’s ready to bake. We love our desserts but I don’t like them too sweet.

I mainly tweaked down the sugar (by ~60%) in Nigella’s recipe and included a short baking time at the outset before switching off the oven, to give a slightly golden crisp cookie texture. So these Forgotten Cookies have a nice nutty crunch on the outside with a soft meringue centre.

Preparation to bake is a mere 15 minutes. Thereafter, just bake for 10 minutes @180C, switch off the oven and leave them overnight. Watch the recipe video and fall in love with these light whimsical Forgotten Cookies!

Tips!

How to get the Perfect Meringue: this is a meringue cookie therefore the most important thing is to get the meringue right.

Meringue, thick and gleaming …

#1 Use egg whites @room temperature. Whilst eggs are best separated when cold, let your whites sit out and come to room temperature. Whites@room temperature create greater volume and gives a most glorious meringue when whipped.

#2 Fat free please. Make sure your whisking gear and bowl are clean and free of grease. Any hint of grease can cause the meringue to fail to whip up properly. I find using a metal or glass bowl works best. Plastic bowls do not work so well as they tend to absorb grease. Another handy tip is to wipe down your whisk and bowl with a bit of vinegar to remove any grease. 

#3 Be careful when separating the eggs. By the same token, if you get yolk in your whites during the eggs separation, yolk is fat so discard that particular one if needs be.

Make sure no yolk falls into the whites!

When I first started baking and had to separate eggs, I found it most helpful to use a small bowl to separate the eggs one at a time and then adding them to a big bowl of those that have been well separated. So in case a ‘yolk mishap’ happens, I just chuck that particular one and do not have to start all over with the whole lot.

In this instance, be ruthless – grin and let the ‘bad egg’ go so that it doesn’t wreck havoc on your meringue during whipping. And if you’re not sure what to do with the left-over yolks, try this delicious No Bake Rosette Tiramisu!

#4 Slow and steady does it. This is the key rule for whisking meringue. Start slow whipping the whites until foamy. Up the speed slowly so that you do not over-beat and gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is added, switch to high speed and whip until the meringue is thick and glossy.

Checking for ‘done-ness’

To test for ‘done-ness’, I usually like to feel a bit of the meringue between my fingers to see if the sugar has been totally incorporated. If it is still a little gritty, for this last part, whip gently by hand until it is completely dissolved.

#5 For chewy meringues, don’t skip the cornstarch and vinegar which helps to stabilize the meringue and give that soft centre texture.

Vinegar & Cornstarch for that bit of chewiness 

#6 Lastly (and I simply cannot overstate this), unless you intend for this recipe to be some form of workout, use an electric whisk.

If you would like to know more about the science of making meringues and how to troubleshoot, SBS Australia has a most insightful writeup, check it out here.

Baking time: following the original recipe which bakes the cookies in a 180C switched off oven overnight, I found the meringue still wet the next day and not entirely dried out.

Cookies all ready to be ‘forgotten’ …

This could possibly be due to the humidity here in Singapore as well as the heat of individual ovens. I therefore added baking time of 10 minutes@180C at the outset before switching off the oven and leaving the cookies to dry out overnight.

Beautiful Forgotten Cookies, baking …

Every oven is different. These Forgotten Cookies are quite forgiving so experiment with your oven and the different rack levels to get to the perfect crisp and texture you like. Rule of thumb: always start low and increase baking time from there.

Use mini chocolate chips: the Forgotten Cookies are ~2cm rounds and the mini chocolate chips just hide nicely in the cookie without spilling out. I used dark chocolate mini chips which tasted perfectly bitter sweet and was a superb foil to the meringue.

Mini choc chips, just the right fit

Don’t skip the pistachios: the roughly grinded pistachios add a beautiful nuttiness and crunch to the cookies so I won’t recommend leaving them out. One could however experiment substituting with other different nuts like pecans, walnuts or even almonds if there is a different preference. The ground cardamon is optional, but for those who like a kick of spice, it’s a nice complement to the chocolate.

You’d love the pistachios

Storage: these Forgotten Cookies keep well for a week, sealed in airtight containers.

Did you make this? I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review. Or take a photo and share it on Instagram or FB; be sure to tag me please @thesugarcrumble.

Print Recipe

Forgotten Cookies

Forgotten Cookies! Why forgotten? Bake for a short spurt, switch off the oven and forget them overnight. Golden, soft centered meringue beauties with dark chocolate chips. Gluten free, dairy free, almost guilt free 😊!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Drying out time5 hours hrs

Total Time5 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 50 cookies

Author: Kai

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites ～135g
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 75 g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 100 g mini chocolate chips
• 120 g pistachio kernels (roughly grinded)

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C. In a grease free bowl, whisk together the egg whites and salt until foamy soft peaks. Whisk in the sugar little at a time until the meringue is thick and glossy.
• By hand, fold in the cornflour, vinegar and cardamom. Then add the chocolate chips and ~2/3 of the grinded pistachios and very gently fold these in too.
• Using an ice cream scoop, drop mounded blobs of the meringue mixture onto a baking pan lined with baking parchment. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios.
• Bake the cookies @180°C for 10 minutes and turn off the oven. Let the cookies sit in the switched off oven overnight.

Video

Notes

How to get the Perfect Meringue 

This is a meringue cookie therefore the most important thing is to get the meringue right.

#1 Use egg whites @room temperature. Whilst eggs are best separated when cold, let your whites sit out and come to room temperature. Whites@room temperature create greater volume when whipped and helps the meringue to reach its full glory.

#2 Fat free please. Make sure your whisking gear and bowl are clean and free of grease. Any hint of grease can cause the meringue to fail to whip up properly. I find using a metal or glass bowl works best. Plastic bowls do not work so well as they tend to absorb grease. Another handy tip is to wipe down your whisk and bowl with a bit of vinegar to remove any grease. 

#3 Be careful when separating the eggs. By the same token, if you get yolk in your whites during the eggs separation, yolk is fat so discard that particular one if needs be.

When I first started baking and had to separate eggs, I found it most helpful to use a small bowl to separate the eggs one at a time and then adding them to a big bowl of those that have been well separated. So in case a 'yolk mishap' happens, I just chuck that particular one and do not have to start all over with the whole lot.

In this instance, be ruthless and literally grin and let the 'bad egg' go so that it doesn't wreck havoc on your meringue during whipping! Not sure what to do with the left-over yolks, try this No Bake Rosette Tiramisu.

#4 Slow and steady does it. This is the key rule for whisking meringue. Start slow whipping the whites until foamy. Up the speed slowly so that you do not over-beat and gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is added, switch to high speed and whip until the meringue is thick and glossy.

To test for done-ness, I usually like to feel a bit of the meringue between my fingers to see if the sugar has been totally incorporated. If it is still a little gritty, for this last part, whip gently by hand until it is completely dissolved.

#5 For chewy meringues, don't skip the cornstarch and vinegar which helps to stabilize the meringue and give that soft centre texture.

#6 Lastly (and I simply cannot overstate this), unless you intend for this recipe to be some form of workout, use an electric whisk.

Baking time: following the original recipe which bakes the cookies in a 180C switched off oven overnight, I found the meringue still wet the next day and not entirely dried out. This could possibly be due to the humidity here in Singapore as well as the heat of individual ovens. I therefore adapted the baking time to 10 minute@180C at the outset before switching off the oven and leaving the cookies to dry out overnight.

Every oven is different. These Forgotten Cookies are quite forgiving so experiment with your oven and the different rack levels to get to the perfect crisp and texture you like. Rule of thumb: always start low and increase baking time from there.

Use mini chocolate chips: the Forgotten Cookies are ~2cm rounds and the mini chocolate chips just hide nicely in the cookie without spilling out. I used dark chocolate mini chips which tasted perfectly bitter sweet and was a superb foil to the meringue.

Don’t skip the pistachios: the roughly grinded pistachios add a beautiful nuttiness and crunch to the cookies so I won’t recommend leaving them out. One could however experiment substituting with other different nuts like pecans, walnuts or even almonds if there is a different preference. The ground cardamon is optional, but for those who like a kick of spice, it's a nice complement to the chocolate.

Storage: these Forgotten Cookies keep well for a week, sealed in airtight containers.