Chocolate Meringue Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to making meringue? ›

If you put meringues in an oven that is just blasting with heat (which is what I used to do), it will just caramelize (or burn). And then you'll find that the meringue doesn't even go hard on the outside, but rather it will just stay soft and go all shriveled. Not to mention it will probably taste dreadful too.

Chewy meringues are the result of two possible situations, under-baking and humidity. If they are under-baked they might always be a little chewy. For humidity, you can try popping the meringues back into the oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 200°F for 10 minutes to try crisping them up a bit.

Affix the whisk attachment and begin whipping on low, gradually increasing speed to medium high (about a 6 on a kitchenaid). Whip for about 10 minutes, checking once the meringue looks thick and glossy. Add the vanilla and salt after about 7 minutes, while the mixer is on.

A baked meringue should have a chewy center and a crisp exterior. ‌Solution: Leave meringues to cool in the oven. After turning the oven off, you can leave meringue cookies inside to finish drying out. Crack the oven door if you're worried the heat will be too high.

To check if the meringue is done whipping, grab the whisk and swirl on the bottom of the bowl. You should feel some resistance against the whisk.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

Italian meringue has a soft and creamy texture that is considered the most stable of the three types. Because it holds its shape so well, you can typically find Italian meringue piped on desserts like baked Alaska or pastries.

Why is my meringue like marshmallow? ›

It doesn't have to be perfect, but if there are too many undissolved pieces of sugar, it means it's not fully dissolved into the protein layer of the egg whites. When this happens, your meringues won't come out crisp and they might seep liquid during baking as the sugar melts out of the meringue.

A small amount of cream of tartar or vinegar can be added to the mixture at the beginning of whipping to help stabilize the foam and make it less likely to collapse. Don't use plastic bowls—they can retain a film of fat from previously mixed or stored items that can deflate the meringue.

The difference between the different types of meringue is how the sugar and egg whites are combined. No matter the type, fat is the enemy to a strong meringue. I like to wipe my bowl and whisk down with a bit of vinegar to get rid of any residual fat or grease.

Adding sugar before whipping was also not ideal, leading to cakes that baked up a bit too dry. In the case of the meringues, adding the sugar at the start of mixing produced a cookie that was dull on the exterior, with a too-fine crumb within.

It can take a while for a meringue to reach stiff peaks and for the sugar to dissolve—about five minutes with a hand mixer. If the sugar has not dissolved (for example, if it tastes gritty), keep beating.

In a large clean, grease-free bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachement to whip the egg whites on low speed until foamy bubbles appear at the top. Add the vanilla bean paste and vinegar (or cream of tartar) and continue whipping until really foamy.