Homemade Forgotten Cookies Recipe

5 from 7 votes

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Forgotten Cookies take just 10 minutes to put together, and then your kitchen oven will do all the work. Leave them in overnight to wake up to this yummy forget me not recipe.

Make this easy, gluten-free dessert for just a few dollars, with a yield of 48! Read on, and let us show you how to make them.

A wooden bowl filled with forgotten cookies with chocolate chips and pecans strewn about.
These egg white cookies can have many variations.

What are These?

Forgotten cookies sound like a prehistoric treat. This is an easy dessert recipe that uses just a few ingredients. You can make them for any occasion but we love to add them to our Christmas cookie collection each year.

You may know them as egg white cookies or chocolate chip meringue cookies, but you can throw in whatever you like and build them to your own taste! The short list of ingredients is mixed together, then doled out and left in the oven overnight.

A wooden bowl full of chocolate chip meringue cookies
This egg white cookies recipe yields 48 portions.

Make this forgotten cookies recipe and wake up to a batch of crispy, smooth treats with a fluffy center. All dotted with bits of pecans and chocolate chips. It’s hard to think of anything better!

If you’re using a recipe that leaves you with some leftover egg whites, do not waste them! Instead, turn them into egg white cookies!

Ingredients for Forgotten Cookies

Egg whites, sugar, and other ingredients for chocolate chip meringue cookies.

The main ingredients for forgotten cookies are egg whites and sugar. Aside from those, there are a few substitutions and variations that you can make.

  • Egg Whites – Use large eggs and make sure they are at room temperature. This will help these bake evenly. If you’re using liquid egg whites, you can substitute 4 tablespoons (or 60 ml.) in these forgotten cookies. Learn how to quickly get eggs to room temperature.
  • Chocolate Chips – You can use white chocolate or mint chocolate chips in this recipe. Or, substitute toffee bits instead.
  • Vanilla – For a mint flavor, leave the vanilla out of this recipe and substitute 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract.
  • Nuts – We use pecans, but you can use crushed peanuts or no nuts at all!

How to Make Forgotten Cookies

(Full recipe in the recipe card below. If you are new to baking, learn how to make cookies from our own in-house professional chef, CIA-trained Chef Kat.)

For these forgotten cookies, you’ll need the ingredients listed above and the following kitchen tools:

  • Medium-size mixing bowl
  • Whisk, hand-held electric mixer, or stand mixer
  • Baking sheet
  • Aluminum foil
  • Spatula
Adding ingredients to a mixing bowl for egg white cookies.
  1. Use a whisk or mixer to beat the egg whites.
  2. Add the sugar, and beat until the formation of stiff peaks.
  3. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Stirring and placing chocolate chip meringue cookies on a baking sheet.

5. Use a spatula to stir the egg white batter.

6. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet into mounds about 2 inches apart.

A baking sheet of overnight cookies.

You’ll put these forgotten cookies in a preheated oven (350°). Turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for about 10 hours. Be sure not to open the oven door, no peaking! You don’t want any of the heat to escape.

A chocolate chip meringue cookie split in half.
Wake up to a batch of these nighty night cookies!

Recipe Questions

How do you store meringue cookies?

You can store these forgotten cookies at room temperature in a sealed container. They’ll keep for up to 2 weeks, making them ideal for your holiday cookie exchange.

Can you freeze meringue cookies?

You can freeze these, but it’s important not to all any moisture to be absorbed when they thaw. Freeze them in an airtight container, and place them in a single layer, lined with parchment paper. You can freeze these for up to one month.

A stack of forever cookies.

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Forgotten Cookies

5 from 7 votes
Make this recipe for egg white cookies that you can customize to your own tastes!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 hours
Yield: 48 Cookies

Ingredients 

  • 2 egg whites, Large, at room temp.
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup pecans, Optional, chopped.

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F. Then, cover a baking pan with foil and grease it.
  • Use a large mixing bowl to beat the egg whites until foamy. Use either a whisk or hand mixer at medium-speed. A stand mixer works well too.
  • Continue to beat the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Keep beating utnil you stiff peaks form. Stir in the vanilla and salt and mix well. Then, fold in the the chocolate chips and optional nuts, using a spatula.
  • Use a teaspoon to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and turn it off. Leave the cookies in the oven overnight (do not open the door) for about 10 hours.

Notes

Baking Tips for Egg White Cookies
  • Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. This will make these overnight cookies uniform in size.
  • Be sure not to open the oven door once you place the cookies inside. It is important that no heat escapes, to allow these egg white cookies to bake.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 10mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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11 Comments

  1. Marg July 02, 2022 at 12:09 pm
    Ginger,
    You can use almost any substitute.
    Just google the conversion.
    Powdered subsitue seems to be 1:1
    Liquid seems to be “drops” or Tbsp.
    I would say, if your Liquid substitute is more than 1 Tbsp, go with a Powder type, or one that calls for less liquid.
    😉

  2. 5 stars
    I love this cookie! I have many variations. For Christmas, crushed peppermint sticks, peppermint extract and red food coloring. Stir in food coloring just enough to make ribbons of color. So pretty and delicious. Or, chopped chocolate mint candy bars and mint extract. It is endless what you can do.

  3. 5 stars
    I grew up eating these.
    We just called them
    “Egg White Cookies”
    I had a hell of a time finding the Right one!!!
    Thank you #DanFromPlatteTalk

    Add anything to this.
    You can use dried fruits to sweeten, if you don’t want to use “sugar”.

    My mother used Chocolate Chips, Shredded Coconut, chopped Walnuts, and chopped Candied Dates.
    No vanilla.
    Sprinkle with colored sugar, or nothing at all.
    I’ve yet to try a pastry bag, with a large tip, and add coloring to make stripes or whatever 😉
    That will be my next experiment!

  4. Ginger,
    You can use almost any substitute.
    Just google the conversion.
    Powdered subsitue seems to be 1:1
    Liquid seems to be “drops” or Tbsp.
    I would say, if your Liquid substitute is more than 1 Tbsp, go with a Powder type, or one that calls for less liquid.
    😉

  5. I’m making these tonight and I’m very nervous and excited about them. I haven’t had the best luck with egg whites in the past, but I’m going to try my best! I’ll let you know how it goes!!

  6. My grandmother made these without sugar.she called them “Thelma’s diabetic cookies”. The sweetness came from the vanilla beans she used. She said they sweetened when they warmed up. I never missed the sugar and could put a dozen away quickly.

    1. I was just going to ask if they could be made with a granulated sugar sub like and erythritol blend. Any idea? Thanks

      1. Hi Ginger, we’ve not made this with a sugar substitute but I would think that you could certainly give it a try. Let us know your results, please.