I can’t believe how popular these have been!
I’ve made three batches to date, and Pete and the boys continue to nibble at them whenever they walk past the cookie jar. We took them to the markets for our suppliers, and sent them with Big Boy for his friends. They’re easy to make and even easier to share.
This was the first time I’d tried this recipe from my trusty Mrs Field’s Best Ever Cookie Book – somewhat surprising given that I’ve made dozens of other treats from it thus far. As always, she never fails me. I’ve sized the recipe up to use five egg whites – the number left over from Pete’s latest batch of icecream.
The end result is two cookie jars worth of crunchy, non-marshmallowy meringues that store well. The cocoa and unsweetened chocolate (you could probably use a 70% dark instead) temper the usual meringue sweetness, making them just as appealing to adults as they are to littlies.
- 85g unsweetened chocolate (I used Callebaut cocoa mass)
- 140g icing sugar mixture (powdered sugar), sifted
- 50g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (I used Dutch-processed)
- 5 large (59g) egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 185g caster sugar
1. Preheat oven to 150C (300F) with fan.
2. Blitz the unsweetened chocolate in a food processor or grate if finely, and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the icing sugar mixture and cocoa.
4. In a large bowl and using a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until thickened, then slowly add the caster sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form and the mixture turns glossy.
5. Gently fold the cocoa mixture and chopped chocolate into the egg whites until no streaks of white remain.
6. Fit a piping bag (I use a large disposable one) with a large star tip and fill with the meringue mix. Pipe pretty shapes onto parchment lined trays.
7. Turn the oven down to 100C (200F) with fan, and bake the meringues for an hour. Once they’re cooked, prop the oven door open slightly and allow them to cool completely in the oven. Store in an airtight container, or freeze.
Note: For Heidi and my US friends, here are the original quantities as written:
- 2oz unsweetened baking chocolate square
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
My son loves meringues… This recipe sounds very amazing!
WOW! WOW! WOW!
They look amazing! Now that’s another thing I could do for our lab meetings in the future
Thanks, Celia!
I’ve been meaning to make chocolate meringues for at least three years now and still haven’t managed it. I saw them over at Suelle’s the other day, then a friend gave me a recipe for them this morning on the train and now I’ve seen them on your site. Strong message coming through I think.
Thanks for putting the original quantities. Did the original recipe tell you what temp to cook in a regular oven. Mine doesn’t have a fan – I just have a gas oven. Hubby’s birthday is coming up and he’s not a real fan of sweets, but if these aren’t too sweet I think he would like them – plus he likes chocolate (I on the other hand LOOOOVVVVEEE chocolate). :)
Thanks for the cup and tsp measurements, Celia!
I recently saw these featured somewhere and couldn’t remember where I had been traveling on the web, to find them again.
They look marvelous- but everything you make looks marvelous!
Yum!!!!They look amazing!!!
Thank you all! I should have made it clearer in the post that these meringues are hard and crispy – I deliberately cook them until the centres aren’t soft anymore. It seems to enhance the chocolate flavour that way, plus they keep for ages and don’t go soft and chewy in the same way that marshmallowy meringues do.
Tes, LJ, thank you! My boys certainly love these, as does almost every other small person who has tried them!
Sally, they’re a perfect item to share, because the batch makes oodles, plus they store so well that they don’t need to be made just before they’re eaten!
Choclette, I think you’d love these.. :)
Heidi, thank you!
Cat, I should have mentioned that, sorry – the original recipe just said 200F – no mention of fan. And these really aren’t as sickly sweet as regular meringues can be sometimes (although there’s a time and place for that too!). I find these chocolate ones perfect with my morning cup of tea.
Oh you make meringues sound good. I am not a fan of the sweet white ones unless they are loaded with fruit. But the unsweetened chocolate sounds like a very very good idea!
I think that these would go down very well in this house, too!
I don’t suppose we could have the ice cream recipe to use up the yolks, too?
Gill, I think you’d like these! I used the Callebaut Cocoa Mass in them, but I think they’d be brilliant with the Willie’s Cacao if you had any on hand…
Amanda, Pete makes most of the icecream here, but when I make it, I use this microwave custard recipe that I posted about here. It’s very simple, and we make a rum and raisin version that would put you over on an RBT (random breath test). :)
Oh, thanks Celia! And I’ll make cheesecake with all the egg yolks too! Yumm!
Celia these look so lovely – what a beautiful photo. I’d love to sit down with one of these with my mid morning coffee! Some time ago I copied out a recipe from Gourmet Traveller while sitting waiting for my turn at the hairdresser (penny pincher I know) that was for Spanish ‘Suspirros’ or kisses. Not dissimilar to these but if I remember rightly they had sherry in them. I made a huge batch to take camping with some friends and they all went wild for them. I had completely forgotten about them and now this had reminded me to dig up the recipe.
whoops I just remembered suspirros mean ‘sighs’ not kisses!
Oh god sorry for the three parter – here’s the link to the Gourmet Traveller suspirros. I didn’t realise they had it on the web.
http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/chocolate-and-cinnamon-suspiros.htm
Me too! I’m going to join in on the chocolate meringue thing. I like the sound of these, and I have some of that Willie’s choc in the garage and never used it. So this is its moment…. oh yes! Lovely photo, crystal clear recipe, no cake flour….. thanks Celia!
Edit: here’s a photo Jo sent me of her meringues, which she made with Willie’s 100% Venezuelan Cacao! Celia
Just looking at the picture of them makes me feel good! If my mixer hadn’t broken down yesterday I would be so making those meringues….right now!
Cheesecake – brilliant idea, Cat! I was thinking of shortbread or bechamel sauce…
Sarah, thanks for the link – that’s a very similar recipe, isn’t it? Although it’s cooked for even longer, so it must be very dry and crispy indeed. You’re very considerate, I can’t tell you how often I get to the hairdresser and the recipes have been ripped out of the mags…
Jo, I hope these worked well for you..thanks for always trying things out for me.. :)
Cindy…aaargh! I don’t think I’d survive without my mixer – I keep a handheld as back-up. Are you going to buy a new one?
Hubba Hubba. THese are so good my resistant-to-toilet-training-toddler is willing to go “all the way” in the loo with number two for a chocolate meringue. Too much information, I know. But think how fabulous they must be, if they can produce instant toilet training!!!
I love soft insides for biscuits but yes the hard ones last for longer! I think these would be marvellous with some raspberries and whipped cream too! :D