On Moderation

Yesterday, after posting my last entry, I was thinking about my overindulgence in chocolate the day before. And I thought there should be some way in which I can occasionally indulge in chocolate without going too crazy. Actually, what this project is all about is teaching myself how to indulge in moderation. I've never been very good with moderation. With me, it's either no or "look out baby."

I remember seeing this recipe for Mocha-Chip Meringues in, you guessed it, Everyday Food. So yesterday, I whipped up a batch. They are very good and low in calories; however, they're sort of messy to make. And this morning, when I sampled another one, I realized that I should have put them in an air tight container. They were a bit chewy. And I should have known this. I've dealt with meringue before.

So, as I was making these very sticky messy cookies, Buddy was in the kitchen with me. Joey had run upstairs and was probably sleeping in the sun on the landing (sometimes I think she's more cat than dog). She was also probably trying to take a break from Buddy. Who can blame her? With my very sticky fingers, I couldn't stroke Buddy's ears which we both enjoy. Nor could I give him a treat or any of those things I usually do when we're in the kitchen. The poor thing. He is so neglected. He proceeded to lie on the kitchen floor and whimper. Every time I'd turn around to look at him, he'd look up with his sad puppy dog eyes...What a performance!!! Whenever I see those ASPCA ads on television, I want to rush out and rescue another dog. And then I look at Buddy and Joey. I wish they could understand what's going on in these ads so they can realize how good they have it.

Back to the cookies: These cookies are only 27 calories a piece!!! And they do have the flavor of coffee and chocolate. The recipe calls for instant espresso powder, and I didn't know what that was, and I couldn't find it in the store, so I used one of these little single-serving instant coffee things that Folger's makes and it worked wonderfully. The recipe is from the January/February 2008 Everyday Food magazine.

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 300°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Beating constantly, add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes total (scrape down the bowl halfway through). Add espresso powder and cocoa; beat until well blended. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.

3. Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until crisp, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on sheets about 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 48 cookies.