Chocolate Chewies

Allow me to gripe about something wholly un-food related (although you could somewhat blame my love of food for part of this...)--I went shopping for tank tops the other day and firmly realized that it is a difficult time to be a curvy (yet still petite?) girl. 90% of the tank tops were cropped, sheer, and/or possessing an open back or some such where you cannot wear a bra. Y'all...I NEED to wear a bra. And I need to not flash my tummy. And I have 0 idea how anyone can wear those sheer tops because they're too small to wear anything under them and if you don't then...you're just essentially naked? So...anyone who makes clothes that is somehow reading this...do us young curvy ladies a favor and make more tank tops that allow us to wear bras. kthanks.

Speaking of those silly tank tops--my cousin is a twiggy little thing and I complained to her about this, while she nodded and commiserated. Not 3 days later I see her in a cropped tank where you can see her bra and belly! I mean..no big deal but cmon girl, where's the solidarity? Even though she betrayed me I still allowed her to partake in the treats I had brought to our grandma's house for her Memorial Day party-these cookies!

And boy, were these little beauties a hit! One of my cousin's kids ate half of them before anyone even knew what hit them. One of my teenage boy cousins was thrilled when he heard I had brought cookies and I know he ate at least 4. Everyone raved about how chocolatey they are, how they taste almost like brownies...but also sort of like meringues? And they're crisp on the outside and super chewy on the inside...really...they sort of perplexed everyone. But in a "how can this be so tasty?" sort of way.

To be fair-these cookies ARE sort of strange. They're sort of a meringue cookie, but not exactly? They definitely have the whipped egg white thing going for them. They also reminded me a bit of macarons when they baked, because they have those little "feet" and that shiny shell-like exterior. Whatever they are, they're made with only 5 ingredients (egg whites, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract), are pretty quick and easy to make, and they're lovely little bites of bliss. The texture is super unique and addictive and if you like chocolate...oh you'll love 'em!

Chocolate Chewies

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. powdered sugar
• 2 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt on low speed. 
• Still on low, add in the egg whites one at a time (the batter will be dry until the final egg white).
• Add the vanilla extract and mix on high speed for 2-5 minutes, until it reaches a thick brownie-batter like consistency.
• Use a small spoon to measure small dollops of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between. 
• Bake 13-15 minutes, until set on the bottom, and let cool before removing from the baking sheet.
• Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Gaze upon that crackly outside and goooey wonderous inside!