Chocolate and cinnamon suspiros

My freezer is full of egg whites. I can't bring myself to waste them when making anything that uses only (or extra) yolks. Happily, egg whites freeze brilliantly, but sadly, pavlova's not something you make more than once a year. When this recipe was recommended to me, there were a few reasons I was excited to try it. One, it came from the most reputable of reputable sources - my mum's dear friend Di (mother of my own dear friend), who is one of the best cooks I know. Two, it used up not one, not two, but three egg whites (which still doesn't make a dent on what I have in the freezer but I'll take what I can get). Three, it stated that these cookies were named, apparently, for the sounds contented nuns made eating them: suspiros - Spanish for sighs. Having sampled them myself, I understand why the nuns were so enamoured. Pillowy clouds of meringue, scented with cinnamon, concealing little pockets of dark chocolate. Heavenly.

Chocolate and cinnamon suspiros
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Traveller

Don't try to make these too uniform - it's useless - the whipped whites will go where they please and that's part of the appeal. Each one is unique... and spectacular. Just shoot for mounds roughly the same size.

120g egg white (about 3)

pinch of salt
120g raw caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, scraped - seeds only)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

120g pure icing sugar, sieved

100g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Dutch-process cocoa, to serve

Preheat oven to 120 deg C and line a tray with baking paper. 

Whisk egg whites and salt in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then add sugar in a thin, steady stream. Whisk until stiff and glossy, then - with mixer running - add in the vanilla and cinnamon. Remove bowl from mixer and use a spatula to fold in the icing sugar, and finally the chocolate. 

Spoon mixture onto the prepared tray in mounds (around 5cm in diameter) and bake for 2-3 hours, until dry and lightly coloured. Turn off oven and let cool inside for 1 hour, then transfer to a wire rack, dust with cocoa and serve. 

Cookies will keep in an airtight container for a week (probably more).