Healthy chocolate is never a bad choice when it comes to dessert (or a midday snack!). These chocolate meringue cookies have a unique texture with a chewy center and a crispy outside. They’re great for holidays, Christmas, or whenever you want to add a little fancy touch.
Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Unlike other cookies that have a base of flour, sugar, and butter, these rely on foamy egg whites instead. If you’ve ever had the fluffy dessert pavlova or lemon meringue pie, then you’ll recognize the texture. They have a little protein thanks to the eggs, plus they’re gluten-free and dairy-free. And instead of refined sugar, I use maple syrup which is rich in manganese, riboflavin, and antioxidants.
The cream of tartar helps stiffen the egg whites so they don’t deflate in the oven and adds a decent amount of potassium. For the chocolate flavor, I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, but you could also use Dutch-processed cocoa. They have a light, sweet, and slightly chocolatey taste, but you can add some chocolate chips if you want even more chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Meringue Cookie Add-ins
These cookies taste really good on their own, but you can add some more flavor if preferred. Add extract or espresso powder with the maple syrup. If you want to add some chocolate chips or nuts, then gently fold these in after the meringue forms stiff peaks.
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp orange or peppermint extract
- 1 cup pecans, walnuts, or other chopped nuts
Chocolate Meringue Cookies Recipe
Servings
Equipment
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add 3 large egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with the whisk attachment on low speed until fluffy and soft peaks form. You can also use a mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
- Slowly add the maple syrup and cream of tartar to the whipped egg whites. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and whisk for another 30 seconds until thoroughly blended.
- Put the mixture into a piping bag with a star tip.
- Pipe about 1 tablespoon of the meringue onto the cookie sheet for each chocolate meringue cookie. If you don't have a piping bag you can spoon a moundful of the mixture onto the tray.
- Bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the meringues start to turn golden brown and are crispy on the outside.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the tray.
Nutrition
Notes
How to Use the Egg Yolks
You’ll have some leftover egg yolks after making this recipe. I like to save them and mix them into scrambled eggs or omelets the next morning. Here are a few other recipe ideas for using up egg yolks:
Troubleshooting Meringue
If it’s your first time making meringue there are a few tips for success. Start with a clean, dry bowl that’s either glass or metal. Plastic mixing bowls can absorb oils, food, and odors that affect the meringue taste. Plus plastic isn’t great for you anyways!
Pick a dry day to make meringues. If it’s really humid outside or in your kitchen the meringues can absorb too much moisture and won’t set right.
And lastly, if you have difficulty getting the egg whites to foam and whip, try using room-temperature eggs. If the egg whites are too cold they won’t whip up as high. Also, try to make sure there aren’t any egg yolk pieces in your meringue, as too much can prevent it from whipping.
More Cookie Recipes
In the mood for cookies? Here are a few more yummy ideas!
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Molasses cookies
- Chewy chocolate cookies (tastes like brownies!)
- Coconut chocolate no-bake cookies
- Coconut macaroons
Have you ever made meringue before? Did you add anything to your chocolate meringue cookies or eat them as is? Leave a comment and let us know!
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