Mama’s Merry Christmas Meringues

My mother made a version of these delicious cookies every Christmas when I was young. Simultaneously light and crisp, chewy and chocolatey, with the crunch of walnuts and the sweet tingle of peppermint candy canes, they say “Merry Christmas” with each bite. You can pipe these meringues into kisses, but I like to spoon them, free-form, onto the baking sheets in big, luscious clouds.