Whether you use these to sandwich clouds of sweetened whipped cream, serve them with your favorite ice cream, or simply nibble on them while you’re enjoying a nice espresso, you’ll love these little meringues.

As light as puff of air and with a nutty-spicy flavor, they’re crispy on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle, making them utterly moreish.

If you can resist eating them all at once, they’ll keep well for a week in an airtight container at room temp.

Spiced Pecan Meringue Cookies

SPICED PECAN MERINGUE COOKIES

(Makes approx 20)

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup (180ml measure) of raw pecans, lightly toasted

3/4 cup (180ml measure) of vanilla sugar

1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1.5 teaspoons of grappa or cognac (optional)

Action:

Preheat the oven to 300F / 150C and line a couple of cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Finely chop the toasted pecans. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until peaks form then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking until you have stiff glossy peaks.

Whisk in the spices followed by the grappa or cognac if using, then fold in the chopped nuts with a large metal spoon, using a cutting motion.

Pile heaped tablespoons of the meringue onto the baking sheet, spacing them about an inch (2.5cm) apart.

Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 200F (93C) and cook for another hour and 15 minutes.

Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely and be careful as they’re fragile! Eat them right away or stack them gently in an airtight container and store at room temp for up to a week.