How should I incorporate separated eggs in a cookie recipe without instructions?

Question

I found a partial (ingredients only) recipe of my Mother's that called for 3 eggs separated for an "Italian Cookies" recipe. I would love to try it but without any instruction\directions how would I manage this ingredient?

Other ingredients include:

• 10 Tbsp. butter

• 1 1/4 c. sugar

  beat 2 minutes

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 3 c. flour

bake 350 15-20 minutes.

That's all I have.

Answer 1

I'm going to suspect you beat the whites (all clean, no fat, no grease, no bits of yolk) to at least soft peaks, possibly stiff peaks, and fold in to the rest - cream the butter & sugar (that's the beat 2 minutes step), add the yolks, add the remaining ingredients, fold in the whites. This is a fairly standard method of using beaten egg whites for a sort of "leavening" by expoiting their trapped air bubbles.

I'd be prone to putting some of the sugar and the vanilla and possibly the zest right at the end (it's got some oil so that's a little risky) in with the whites, but the way you have presented it does not seem to suggest that.

Answer 2

I would suggest:

1. Mix egg whites, sugar, vanilla - granularity of sugar will incorporate air into egg white
2. Add butter (room temp or browned) - everything will thicken
3. Lemon zest can go into any of the above steps
4. Add flour - you may want to hand-mix and leave little dry flour

Of course, refrigerate and bake the next day.