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
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