Dark Chocolate-Dipped Almond Meringues
Dark Chocolate-Dipped Almond Meringues
What are meringues anyway? They don’t have any flour. They don’t have any fat, (except if you dip in them in something like . . . dark chocolate!) Meringues are egg whites (all protein) whipped up like crazy, with added cream of tartar, salt and sugar, then mounded on a baking sheet and baked . . . forever! They take about an hour and a half in your barely hot oven (225 degrees F) and then you turn your oven off and let them sit for ANOTHER hour, cooling down. It’s a crazy way to make cookies, but the end result is nothing short of YUMMY! Your kids will love these lighter-than-air, chewy, sweet goodies, almost like cotton candy except with a heck of a lot more protein! WINNER!
- Dark Chocolate-Dipped Almond Meringues
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup 72% cacoa dark chocolate chunks (I broke up 4-5 squares of Ghirardelli Twilight Delight)
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, securing with masking tape.
- To Prepare Meringues: Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently fold in vanilla and almond extracts and cocoa.
- Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Place in preheated oven. Turn temperature to 225 degrees F and bake 1 1/2 hours or until dry. (Meringues are done when the surface is dry and meringues can be removed from paper without sticking to fingers.) Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven 1 hour or until cool and crisp. Remove from oven; carefully remove meringues from paper. Cool completely on wire rack.
- To prepare glaze: Place dark chocolate chunks in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 30 seconds or until melted, stirring until smooth. Dip half of each meringue in chocolate. Place on wire rack to dry. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
When preparing these cookies, be careful not to overbeat the egg whites; properly stiff peaks will have the consistency of marshmallow cream.