PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE

MAKES: 12

COOK TIME: 6-8 minutes

The holidays are sometimes a blur of family, events and exams, and it can be difficult to make time for long standing traditions— like baking. But these holiday cookies are delicious, and with only four ingredients, a snap to make.

This internet-famous peanut butter cookie recipe can be given a holiday makeover by dipping or drizzling them in melted chocolate. As an added plus, they require only eight minutes in the oven and can be prepared and baked in under half an hour.

–       1 cup peanut butter

–       1 egg

–       1 cup sugar

–       ½ cup melting chocolate or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Once they are on the baking sheet, you can cross-hatch them with a fork to press them down and sprinkle sugar on top of them. Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a microwave. At 30 second intervals, take the chocolate out and stir. Repeat until melted.

Dip or drizzle chocolate onto the cookies and let cool.

MERINGUES

MAKES: 24

COOK TIME: 90 minutes

These small, egg-based cookies are perfect for the holiday season— they resemble snowballs and are easy to color and modify. They may sound daunting, but they are actually quite simple to make.

Originally created in France during the 1600s, the recipe has largely stayed the same since. It is comprised of four main ingredients:

–       3 egg whites

–       ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

–       ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

–       ¾ cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

First, separate the egg. To do this, crack it and juggle the yolk over a bowl. The white will spill into the bowl while the yolk is kept in the shell. A quick YouTube search can help you master this technique easily, or you can use an egg separator if you have one.

Beat the egg with an electric mixer until it is foamy– I found it to take about 30 seconds on a medium speed. Add in the cream of tartar and vanilla, and beat about another 30-45 seconds, or until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Add in the confectioner’s sugar. As you beat this, for about two or three minutes, you will notice the color changing to opaque. When it is finished, the peaks should stand on their own.

Scoop the mixture on to a lined baking sheet and bake for about 90 minutes.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Note: To make these meringues even more holiday-ready, you can beat in 4-5 drops of food coloring with the eggs to achieve a pastel color.