Name: Forgotten Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 egg white, at room temperature; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 1/2 cup chocolate chips; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted; 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

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If you’re like me and believe that some of the best cookie recipes are the old ones, then I have a treat for you today. These meringue cookies are called Forgotten Cookies because you scoop them onto baking sheet, put them in an oven, turn the oven off and leave them overnight!

Forgotten meringue cookies on a baking sheet with pecans and chocolate chips.

If waking up to freshly baked cookies in the morning is wrong, I never want to be right!

What are Forgotten Cookies?

Forgotten cookies consist of a beaten egg white with lots of goodies folded in (nuts, chocolate and coconut) that are scooped onto a foil-lined baking sheet (do not forget the foil!) and placed in a hot oven that you turn off promptly.

They just so happen to be gluten-free if that’s your thing. I made the recipe as-written, but I think you could have a lot of fun here with different mix-ins: coconut, macadamia nuts and butterscotch chips? Dried cherries, orange zest and white chocolate? Lemon zest, hazelnuts and a splash of Frangelico–all sound amazing!

Most often, I slide these forgotten cookies in the oven at night, leave them overnight and wake up to perfectly crisp meringue cookies studded with pecans, chocolate chip and coconut. I supposed you could bake early in the day and enjoy cookies in the afternoon, but breakfast cookies are always more fun.

My family recipe card for these forgotten cookies has a note that calls these ‘overnight cookies’ and ‘meringue cookies.’

Two white meringue cookies stacked with top one cut in half to show insides.

It might feel weird to preheat the oven, slide a sheet of cookies in, and then turn off the oven and leave it closed for 8 hours, but that is the best method for making these! Do not be tempted to open the oven and peak, or you might end up with soggy weepy meringue cookies.

One non-negotiable thing about this recipe: you must use foil! You must line the baking pan with foil. This helps with even heat distribution, since the recipe technically bakes in a turned-off oven.

The Ingredients

Bowl of egg whites, pecans, sugar, chocolate chips, coconut and vanilla on white surface.

Egg White. These forgotten cookies are meringue cookies, so we’re only using egg whites, not whole eggs. This is a small batch recipe that only makes 8 cookies, so we only need 1 egg white. You can double or triple this recipe easily, though!
Sugar. Regular, granulated white sugar, one third of a cup.
Vanilla. I always bake with pure, vanilla extract. Even though this meringue cookies recipe only makes 8, you still need 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The vanilla flavors the meringue so well, and makes the cookies taste even sweeter.
Chocolate Chips. You can use 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate from a bar. Any type of chocolate is fine here: semisweet, dark, milk, or even white chocolate.
Nuts. I’m using walnuts in this recipe because they’re easier to find than pecans. My maternal grandmother was Texan, so she always baked with pecans. She even had giant pecan trees in her yard! Use whatever nuts you like, but be sure to lightly toast them before adding them to the batter. If you like pecans, don’t miss my Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
Coconut. We’re using sweetened shredded coconut flakes for this recipe (the stuff in the blue bag). If you want to reduce the sugar a bit, you can use desiccated coconut without sugar.

How to Make Forgotten Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350. Ensure the oven reaches this temperature before putting the meringue cookies into the oven. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Brown bowl with beaten egg white and a splash of vanilla on top.

Beaten meringue with coconut, chopped nuts and chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

In a bowl, beat the egg white until very stiff. You can do this by-hand with a large whisk or with an electric mixer. Please note that soft peaks will make cookies that spread too much, so make sure you beat it until stiff. You should be able to flip the bowl upside down and not have anything drop out.

Next, beat in the sugar and vanilla, just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut flakes.

Brown bowl with meringue studded with chocolate chips and nuts.

Ten meringue cookies on a gold baking sheet.

If your meringue is stiff enough, it will hold all of the ingredients evenly, like you see in the photo above. If you didn’t beat it long enough, the chocolate chips and nuts will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

Scoop 1 ½ tablespoon portions of the batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving space between the cookies. Place the cookies in the oven, close the door, then turn OFF the oven. Let the cookies sit without opening the door for 8 full hours.

Overnight forgotten cookies on baking sheet with walnuts and chocolate chips.

How to store Meringue Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe only makes 8-10 cookies, depending on how large you scoop them. If you have leftovers, you should keep them in the freezer or at room temperature in an air-tight container. Do not store meringue cookies in the fridge, because they will absorb moisture and become soggy. The cold, dry air of the freezer will keep them crisp the longest. Be sure to store them in an air-tight freezer container so that they don’t absorb any odors from the freezer food. Remove from the freezer and let rest at room temperature (uncovered) for a few hours to thaw before serving.

How long do meringue cookies last?

At room temperature, meringue cookies can last up to one week, if stored in an air tight container. In the freezer, they can last for months.

Yield: 8-10