Forgotten Cookies aka Forgotten Kisses are a sweetly romantic, and dreamy Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookie. Other names for this light as a cloud, sweet treat include Leave Me Alone Cookies, and Meringue Cookies.
About an hour before you plan to make your cookies, take your eggs out of the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs. Add the egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Start with the mixer at medium speed, and gradually increase the speed every few minutes and beat until foamy.
Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Peaks are the "mounds of meringue" that pull up when removing the beaters from the foam. You'll know your peaks are soft when the tops gently fall over. (Be careful here not to overbeat.)
Add the sugar gradually while continuing to beat, about one teaspoon at a time, until all of the sugar is added, then add the vanilla extract. (The slower you add the sugar, the better it will dissolve into the meringue.) Continue beating until all of the sugar is dissolved, and the meringue is shiny and holds its shape.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or metal spatula.
Using two teaspoons, take a spoonful of the mixture with one, and use the other spoon to gently push the mixture off of the spoon onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Leave about a 1-inch space between cookies.
Place the cookie sheets in the oven, and immediately turn the oven off. Forget them!
Don't open the oven door for at least 4 hours, or better yet, overnight.
Store in a airtight container!
Notes
If you don't have superfine sugar, add the amount of granulated white sugar called for in your recipe in a food processor. Add a couple of tablespoons more to compensate for a reduction in overall volume. Process for one to two minutes until the sugar is finely ground.If you decide to substitute regular granulated sugar, the meringue will appear grainy before it goes into the oven. However, the sugar will dissolve when the cookies are baked and they won't taste grainy. Always use room temperature eggs to make your meringue. And, if even the tiniest bit of yolk gets in the whites while you are separating them, start over. If there is any yolk in the whites they will not whip up correctly. For the best meringue, it's important that the mixing bowl and beaters that you use are squeaky clean and completely dry. Use either a glass or metal mixing bowl and do not use plastic bowls.It's best to make these cookies on a sunny, dry day. If it's humid or rainy, the meringue may become sticky and won't set up correctly.Forgotten cookies will keep several days on your counter in an airtight container. However, use care when stacking them because they are delicate. I usually put a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. You can buy pre-cut parchment paper that's made to fit perfectly in your cookie sheet.