Peanut Meringue Cookies

Fun fact: did you know that peanut allergy's more common in Asians than in any other race?  Seriously, no sh#t, the BBC said so here.   No offense, but I had always felt like only Americans were allergic to peanuts.  One of them is always allergic to something.  This just doesn't happen where I'm from.  In developing countries like China, can you imagine?  A poor starving Chinese child who has food allergies?  I know so many Americans who are allergic to peanuts.  And peanut allergies are never just "oh a small rash" or "I feel ill" afterwards.  No, it's serious anaphylactic -shock-and-unconsciousness-sh#t.  I gave these to a friend, who, upon discovering that they contained peanuts, had to go brush his teeth because his girlfriend is deathly allergic to peanuts.

Another fun fact: did you know that brazil nut allergies can be sexually transmitted?  Wait, I don't know how to word this, but basically, if you're allergic to brazil nuts, and you perform sexual intercourse with a man who's recently consumed them, then you will have an allergic reaction.  Yup, it can be transmitted through the semen.  Another reason for safe sex, kids. 

So now onto these cookies.  They're good.  They're one of my favorite cookies.  Think of how you'd make macaroons, but with ground peanuts instead, and no filling.  There. Crisp, soft, light and sweet.  I didn't know what to call them...

 I've been bringing them to the library, spreading the love, making it a better place.  Changing the world, making people happy, one cookie at a time.  Hah. Well, I do hope that they improve people's state of emotion even just by a little bit. 

Ingredients
200g peanuts
80g eggwhite
200g icing sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 180C

Roast the peanuts by spreading them evenly on a baking tray and put them in the oven at 180C for about 15-20 minutes.  Keep checking on them.  When fragrant and the skin begins to peel off, take them out and leave them out to cool.   Skin them by rubbing them in a kitchen towel.  Put in a food processor until finely ground.


Lower oven temperature to 150C.  Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form then add the icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. 

Sift the peanuts and then fold them into the egg white mixture. 

Put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe out small circles (like 1inch in diameter) onto the lined baking tray, about 1/2-1 inch apart from each other. 

Bake for 15 minutes, leave to cool, then bake more because it will be more than one batch.