Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Chocolate Meringues



I love meringues.

They're easy to make, require ingredients I always have on hand and best of all, they're something I can make and eat without much guilt.

A welcome experience around here, let me tell you.

In fact, I'll calculate and share the nutritional information for these cookies. The whole batch should contain less than 880 calories, less than a gram of fat and makes roughly 50-60 cookies. Meaning each cookie is roughly 15 calories, virtually fat free and packs a big chocolate flavor into a little cookie package. Win!

These are probably the lightest treat to make it onto my blog but sadly, I had to find a way to make them a little less reasonable. At the last moment I compulsively decided to sandwich the light crisp cookies with a little melted chocolate. Woops...



Chocolate Meringues
from Cookies

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa (I recommend using extra dark cocoa)

Preheat your oven to 175°F.

Prep a pastry bag with a large star tip (like an Ateco 825) or if piping bags are not your style, cut a half-inch in diameter opening in the corner of a zip top bag. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter (you can omit the cream of tartar if using a copper bowl) in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly over the water until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (roughly 3-4 minutes). Then remove from heat and beat the whites with a hand mixer or your stand mixer, starting on low speed and gradually increasing until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

Sift the cocoa over the meringue to break up any lumps and then fold until no streaks remain. Add the mixture to your pastry bag and pipe rows of quarter sized meringues onto the pans.

Bake for 2 hours, until they lift from the pan easily. Allow to cool completely.

To sandwich, melt a few ounces of your favorite chocolate and fill a zip top bag. Cut a small opening and pipe small blobs of chocolate onto each cookie. Given their awkward shape, this is best done with the meringues upside down on a baking rack. Allow the chocolate to cool for about 10 minutes and then top with a second cookie. Allow the filled cookies to sit for a couple hours or until the chocolate has set completely and then store in an air tight container for up to two days.

28 comments:

  1. I wish I wasn't at work right now so i could try this yummy recipe. I love meringue!!! I don't think I've ever had chocolate meringue...that must be changed

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  2. Remove from *heat,* I think you meant, unless your recipe is very different from mine.

    We're having a Santa Ana wind today, so it's perfect weather for the making of meringues.

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  3. Remove from meat?! Oh boy...

    It is going to be one of THOSE days.

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  4. Now I'm in trouble - I happen to have all the ingredients.... heheheh

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  5. Oh mah goodness! I've never had a meringue, but you just sold me on them. I can't wait to try these!

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  6. I love meringues but have never made them. I need to fix that :)

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  7. Gah - my best friend recently introduced me to the joys of meringues. I haven't made them in a long time and now I am craving them hardcore!

    I love your photos. The meringues looks so cute sandwiched together like that!

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  8. These look absolutely amazing! I've been wanting to bake meringues for a while, but it's always so humid where I live and I'm afraid they won't turn out. Do you have any tips or tricks for baking meringues in a humid environment, or it is impossible?

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  9. These are so gorgeous! I love meringues and make them whenever I have leftover egg whites =D. I have yet to try chocolate ones though - they are now on my list!

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  10. These look great! I might make these because I have sooo many eggs right now and need a low fat dessert for this weekend, but not too low fat. I feel the need to smother these in frosting.

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  11. Okay, this is an amazing coincidence: I've been planning to make chocolate meringues for a couple of days now, and tonight I had decided I HAD to make them. I'm delighted to see your recipe. However, I have a few questions, if you get a chance to answer them.

    1. How necessary is the bowl-over-water step? I didn't do that the last time I made them, and they came out all right, although certainly not perfect. What does it do for the recipe?

    2. Why sift and fold in the cocoa, rather than adding it earlier?

    3. What's the best source for a big honkin' star tip? Your meringues are ADORABLE.

    4. Do you ever have to worry about the meringue collapsing when you pipe it? I've never tried piping it, and I'm a little worried it will deflate when I squeeze the piping bag.

    5. Is there any way to flavor meringues with something other than chocolate or mocha? I know oil-based flavor is out, but I feel like meringues would go beautifully with so many different flavors.

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  12. Too beautiful to eat...nawww!!!!!

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  13. a fabulous treat! ur meringues look perfect

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  14. Your meringues look absolutely perfect and beautiful!!

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  15. How beautiful - your photos are gorgeous. I have some egg whites in the fridge, waiting to be used... oh dear.

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  16. Holy cow! Sandwhiches meringues look so cute!~

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  17. kristophine,

    1. There are essentially three meringue methods: French, Swiss and Italian. Cooking it over the water bath is the Swiss method, this helps dissolve the sugar and stabilize the meringue.

    2. I add flavoring agents after beating the meringue because I don't want anything to interfere with the egg protein molecular magic.

    3. I get all my tips from a local cake decorating supply store. Sur La Table is also a good place to pick them up if you have one nearby. Online you can't beat Amazon's prices.

    4. Meringue is quite safe and stable in a piping bag. I wouldn't squish it around like a stress-toy but it can certainly withstand being piped.

    5. Yes, oils are not great for meringue. Dry ingredients and small amounts of liquids like vanilla generally work best. Try freeze dried fruits sometime (like strawberries or blueberries) and grind them in your food processor to a powder. Sift to make sure there are no lumps and then fold them into your meringue.

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  18. Thank you so much! I would never have thought of grinding freeze-dried fruit--that is GENIUS.

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  19. Your photography is just stunning. Do you do it all yourself? Really impressive.
    These little treats are the perfect thing to bring to a Spring brunch on Sunday. Can't wait! I am going to make the filling pink though (strawberry cream) for a color twist.
    Your blog is visually stunning. Well done.

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  20. hautenthekitchen,

    Yes I do, thank you.

    I've only been using a 'real' camera for a few months now and still have a lot to learn.

    Can't go wrong with strawberry and chocolate. The pink filling would look darling in these... why didn't I think of that?!

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  21. Those look beautiful :0 Really wish I could eat one LOL

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  22. Gorgeous! I'm making ice cream this weekend, this will be the perfect use for all those egg whites!

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  23. Hi!!..I Tried the meringues, but they turned out grainy or plike fill of pores, not soft lookins and shiny like yours,. I followed everything. What did I did wrong?

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  24. Very likely a meringue beating issue. Under whipped meringues will be flatter and have a rougher texture. Over beat a meringue, and it will turn break and turn grainy, also making a rough flat cookie.

    Meringue can be a bit tricky. You need to make sure everything you're working with is very, very clean. No trace of oil anywhere and not even the slightest bit of yolk in the whites. Beat in a stainless or copper bowl (use a little acid to boost the meringue if you're working with stainless--cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt. Amounts per egg can be found on the web), don't beat them on high speed if you're using a mixer and add the sugar slowly. Doing that and beating them to the proper peak formation will help produce perfect meringues.

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  25. Ahhhh... it is sooo amazing what air and a little sugar can do to egg whites...

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