we'll get to the cookies soon, but first i want to share a bit about my morning. see, these cookies are incredible - airy and light with the perfect balance of fruity sweetness. my morning, which is thankfully over now, was far from perfect, and definitely not airy or light (at least not until post-yoga).
i spent my early hours with a big cup of coffee, excitedly writing about all sorts of wonderful things: the perfect solution for egg whites left behind by batch after batch of homemade ice cream. joyously arriving at a party with a big bowlful of these cookies to hands reaching in for a taste and lots of smiling faces. you know, the great daily moments of life.
i finished putting my thoughts into words and phrases that would actually make sense to you wonderful people. and right at that moment, in a flurry of awful, the saving of the post failed and i clicked in the wrong place, and boom. gone. all those beautiful words, the only reason i got out of bed extra early. gone.
so of course, i got angry (like one does). but instead of sulking my morning away as i really wanted to do in the moment, i pulled myself up and out the door. i went to shanti school of yoga - my yoga studio, my sacred space. this beautiful wood ceiling cathedraling up to one big skylight could bring joy to anyone’s soul. and it sure did better my bad morning moment.
everyone's first thought at abandoning work for a mid-morning yoga class is surely one of terror. but hear me out.
do i now have 2 hours less time to complete my afternoon’s to do list and need to add in re-doing the morning’s task? yes. did the idea of that reality make me really not want to go to yoga in the moment? yes.
but, here is the thing. taking some time to calm my mind, breathe, and reconnect with myself allowed me to totally let go of the disappointment of lost work. now, i’m here again - writing a piece inspired by the whole experience instead of angrily trying to re-create the past.
so here is to letting go when things don't go your way, taking time to clear your head, and to these cookies. for no reason other than simple enjoyment of life!
note: strawberry powder is made by simply pulsing freeze dried strawberries in a blender or a clean coffee/spice grinder. you could also switch in any other freeze dried fruit for other flavors! yum!
ingredients:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp corn starch
3 Tbsp strawberry powder (see note)
instructions:
using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, whip egg whites, sugar, and corn starch until stiff peaks form.
whip in strawberry powder (and a little vanilla if you like!) until evenly distributed.
fit a pastry bag (or just a plastic bag with the corner cut off) with a medium star frosting tip. if you don't have a tip, you can just scoop small piles of the batter onto your baking sheet, or use a plastic bag with the corner cut off to form small mounds.
fill the pastry bag with batter, and form small swirls on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. they can be very close together as they won't swell, just make sure they aren't touching!
bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours, then let cool with oven door cracked. cookies should be dry to the touch before turning off the oven, and one big crunch once cooled (tasting is the best way to test them!). if for some reason your cookies still have some gooeyness to them once cooled, just turn the oven back on for another half an hour or so, then let them cool again.
store these in an air-tight container to make sure the outsides don't get sticky!