CHANUKAH CHOCOLATE LATKES (really Cookies!)

Tomorrow night starts the 8 day Jewish Holiday of Chanukah  (Hanukkah). This is a great food holiday! You'll have plenty of time to make these Chocolate Chanukah Latkes. Hanukkah usually includes the traditional feast of Latkes (potato pancakes), served with applesauce and sour cream. These Chocolate Latkes are not what you think. When you read the recipe, you'll pretty quickly realize that you're really making cookies, but they do look a lot like latkes. Enjoy!

This recipe for "Chocolate Latkes" is from Chocolate Holidays by Alice Medrich. Alice Medrich is one of my chocolate heroes. You'll want to add this cookbook to your collection! 

CHOCOLATE CHANUKAH LATKES

Ingredients

4 large egg whites
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3 1/2 ounces dark (65-75% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
Dash - 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put some water in skillet and bring to low simmer.

Combine all ingredients in large heatproof mixing bowl, preferably stainless steel (ingredients heat up faster in stainless steel than in glass). Set bowl in skillet of barely simmering water and stir mixture, scraping bottom to prevent burning, until sticky and hot to touch.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of mixture about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with fingers to resemble miniature potato pancakes.

Bake until cookies feel dry on surface and edges and protruding coconut shreds are dark golden brown (despite chocolate color) and interior still looks like melted chocolate, 13 to 15 minutes. Rotate sheets from front to bake and upper to lower about halfway through. Slide parchment paper onto cooling rack. Cool cookies completely before removing from parchment.

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You'll love these. So much fun and delicious!!!