What did I do wrong?????????? I made the dough exactly as listed in Marigene's recipe....however, when i put them in the oven they turned into a soggy mess. Could I have waited too long between rolling out and cutting before putting them in the oven???? I have to make these cookies ASAP. I have the rest of the dough in the fridge. I am going to attempt to put another batch in the oven later today so that the dough is completely chilled. OY!! The ones I made over the holidays were wonderful. Hey.... maybe I made these too thick? is that a possibility? any help would be appreciated

MERRY MERINGUES (about 5 dozen) 2 egg whites, room temperature 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped nuts 3 TBL crushed peppermint candy Preheat oven to 250° (NOT 350°). Lightly grease 2 or more baking sheets. Usin a mixer, beat the whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the salt & cream of tartar & continue beating until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 TBL at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the meringue is stiff. Fold in the vanilla, chocolate chips, nuts & candy. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1/2" apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 40 minutes. Remove to cake racks to cool.~~

How pretty! And delicious I am sure. I remembered this morning when I worked at a school. They made cookies with a buttercream frosting, surprisingly good considering the frosting came out of a 5 gallon bucket. They had to sit overnight to crust over. Not sure they would have shipped well, but they were really popular.

Another way to approach the sugar is to measure it then run it through the food processor. With a stand mixer, it wouldn't be a problem. Even though a couple of generations ago, it was standard to whip eggwhites on a plate with a fork, I like a deeper than wider bowl. That gives them something to climb up, though the hand mixer is a hindrance and will demand a somewhat shallower bowl. I can completely inflate a dozen eggwhites from size large eggs in a five quart bowl. For fewer, I'd still go with a big bowl, especially if it's not too wide, to give yourself room to maneuver. I've tried a hand mixer and didn't think it did a good job, so before I had a stand mixer, I just whipped them by hand with a fork or whisk. I don't have any issues with a stainless bowl (Martha's copper is classic, but I don't have one). The problem would be a bowl that's too slick. I wouldn't try glazed ceramic, and only glass if it's been beaten in before and roughed up a bit. There's a subtle texture to unpolished metal that helps the egg cling and climb. The reason to start slowly is so you won't be decorating the kitchen with egg slop. The actual aeration would be on high. You'll eventually get there at any speed, but why work that hard? Length of time to stiff peaks is quite variable depending on your equipment, eggs and number of eggs. I once did a dozen by hand and it must have taken at least 20 minutes. I should have done it four at a time. The best I can say, since you're probably using a dozen for meringue cookies, is that it'll take longer than you think it ought to, but not nearly as long as it could. :) Don't overbeat or underbeat. Not flopping over doesn't mean truly stiff. There would be a thin peak when you pull the beater away, and it should stand at attention type stiff. The meringue should be glossy not floppy. If you overbeat it'll start to liquify again and should become a nice omelette. Always use a scraper to turn the bottom once or twice (without squishing) to make sure there isn't a pool of unwhipped white. If your recipe has any salt in it, but 1/4 tsp, or however much called for if it's less, into the eggwhites. It helps them retain their loft. For meringue cookies, piping usually works best. If you don't have a piping bag you can use the ziploc with a corner cut out method. Before you start your recipe, get your bag ready and find a vessel to use to hold it while you're filling. It might be a wide pickle jar or coffee can or similar sized vessel. Something tall enough that it'll hold the whole working part of the bag without touching bottom. Fold the sides of the bag over the vessel. This makes it a lot easier to fill without squishing the eggs. YMMV but I like plain old fashioned matte but not textured aluminum baking sheets, no paper. I think th paper keeps too much of the moisture. Before you bake, you should also decide what texture you like. Some prefer crisp outside and chewy in the middle. I prefer crisp all the way through. As far as I know, the only difference is how long you bake it. I don't know a good doneness test but the chewy ones feel heavier in the hand (the weight of the water that makes them chewy). You can compare recipes to get an idea of timing. Have fun! Meringues are magic. :)