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So finally, my channel on You Tube is up! A new beginning, uncharted waters. Intimidating but so exciting! The channel is going to be basically about baking for beginners, an extension of the series here. An endeavor to reach out to more wanna be bakers and baking enthusiasts. It will take me some time to get comfortable with the camera ( I am terribly camera-shy!), but am am sure you will be with me in this journey as well. Go ahead and laugh at the first few videos, I hope I will laugh at them too when I learn to face it better! Please do subscribe to the channel for updates and don't forget to leave your comments for me. To celebrate the new beginning, here are some Cafe Volcano Cookies - crisp-crunchy, coffee flavored meringue cookies loaded with nuts!
What appears like a little masses of nuts barely held together by the sticky whites, magically puff up in the oven! They turn into 'higgledy, piggledy bumpy shapes' as Dorie Greenspan calls them. Well, who in their right minds will look for glamor when the toasty crunchy nuts, coffee and the crisp-crunchy meringue more than make up for it!
Thank God for coffee, the magical ingredient that adds so much flavor while cutting back on the sweetness of the meringue. I can't imagine appreciating these as much without the coffee, as otherwise the cookies would be cloyingly sweet.
The ingredients below will make a large batch, I quartered the recipe and baked two batches. Would suggest you do the same unless using a large oven.
Ingredients:
Almonds - 1 cup (sliced, slivered or whole), coarsely chopped (read note)
Walnuts - 1 cup, coarsely chopped
Egg whites - 2 large / 60 grams
Sugar - 200 grams / 1 cup (preferably caster or granulated sugar ground fine)
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Instant coffee - 4 1/2 teaspoons
Method :
Method :
1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
2. Toast the nuts till fragrant either in the oven or in a skillet on the stove. Be careful to stir them frequently or they will burn. Transfer them to a plate, cool.
3. Take all ingredients including the nuts in a heavy saucepan*, this is very important. Stir well with a spatula to mix.
4. On low heat, keep stirring constantly till the mixture is just warm to the touch. This will take a minute or so. Do not walk away or stop stirring! Remove from the heat.
5. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter on the lined sheets, spacing them an inch apart.
6. Bake for about 15 -16 minutes rotating the pans half-way through the time. (Recipe specifies 20 minutes). The cookies are done when they look puffed , cratered, shiny and dry. Bake less than more, bake a couple of minutes longer if needed. Be careful not to burn the cookies.
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them remain on the sheets for 5 minutes before gently peeling them from the liners and transferring them to racks to cool to room temperature.
8. Storing: Kept in a cool, dry place at room temperature (they should never be refrigerated), the cookies will hold up for about 3 days. As with all meringues, humidity will make them go soggy and sticky.
Please note : I used 60 grams (1/2 cup) of cashews for 1/4 recipe and then 60 grams walnuts (1/2 cup) for another 1/4 batch. I made some with walnuts and some with cashew. Surprisingly the cashew ones tasted even better to me. Am going to making these with almonds next time. Hazelnuts shouldn't be bad either!
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them remain on the sheets for 5 minutes before gently peeling them from the liners and transferring them to racks to cool to room temperature.
8. Storing: Kept in a cool, dry place at room temperature (they should never be refrigerated), the cookies will hold up for about 3 days. As with all meringues, humidity will make them go soggy and sticky.
Please note : I used 60 grams (1/2 cup) of cashews for 1/4 recipe and then 60 grams walnuts (1/2 cup) for another 1/4 batch. I made some with walnuts and some with cashew. Surprisingly the cashew ones tasted even better to me. Am going to making these with almonds next time. Hazelnuts shouldn't be bad either!
Eminently enjoyable cookies these are, can imagine it would be great crumbled over vanilla ice cream as well! Please do try these and let me know how you liked them.
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