Celebrate Valentine’s Day With These Kim Kushner Recipes

Image by Liza Schoenfein

By Kim Kushner February 13, 2019

Flourless Chocolate-Almond Gooey Chewy Giant Cookies

Feel free to swap out the almonds for your favorite nuts. As you’ll see, I suggest placing parchment squares (aka parchment paper that’s been cut into small squares) in between each cookie after they have been baked and cooled to prevent them from sticking to one another.

Makes about 16 cookies

1 cup sliced almonds

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

¾ cup almond flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the almonds, sugar, almond flour and cocoa until well combined. Add the vanilla and egg whites and use a spatula to stir thoroughly until the mixture looks chocolaty and has a firm batter consistency.
Use a medium ice-cream scoop to scoop out the cookies. Place them on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart (they will spread while cooking). Sprinkle a few specks of sea salt onto the top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies in the oven until the outsides appear crackly and firm while the insides are still soft to the touch, about 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a rack, and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Once cooled, peel the cookies away from the parchment paper and place on a serving dish or in a container with parchment squares between each cookie to prevent sticking.

Make-Ahead Tip: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze It?: The cookies can be frozen (with parchment squares in between each cookie to avoid sticking) but will end up more crunchy rather than gooey. Thaw on the counter for an hour before serving.

Magical Meringue Kisses

To turn the meringue kisses pink (or any color you choose), add a few drops of food coloring toward the end of the whisking process.

Makes 30–40 cookies

3 large egg whites, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Pinch of kosher salt

¾ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 225°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a clean glass bowl if using a handheld electric mixer. Whisk on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes, then add the vanilla, cream of tartar and salt and mix for 1 minute longer. Raise the speed to high and slowly add the sugar, one spoonful at a time, while whisking on high speed until the mixture is shiny white, creamy, and stiff. This should take about 4 minutes on high speed. You will know the meringue mixture is just right when stiff, pointy peaks are created when the whisk is lifted. (If the mixture is foamy and breaks apart, you may have overwhisked and need to start over again!)
Fill a piping bag fitted with a small tip with the meringue mixture and pipe small rounds, about 1 inch wide and 1 inch high, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use 2 teaspoons to form small mounds. Bake in the oven for 75 minutes. When the meringues are done, they should be white and glossy and have a little sponginess to them. They will harden as they cool.

Make-Ahead Tip: Magical meringue kisses can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container (I prefer glass because the meringues won’t get soggy).

Can I Freeze It?: Magical meringue kisses can be stored and frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw on the counter for about 20 minutes.

These recipes have been reprinted from I Heart Kosher by Kim Kushner,https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Heart-Kosher/Kim-Kushner/9781681884196) published by Simon and Schuster.

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