Merry Christmas Eve!
Chocolate Dipped Meringue Cookie. I love anything meringue, pavlovas are my go-to desserts for a crowd. They are light/crispy on the outside and chewy in the inside! Meringue pairs well with any fruit or chocolate you top it with. Instead of making a pavlova or large meringue, these mini meringues are the perfect size for cookie swaps, a display and more importantly to pop into your mouth! Additionally, what makes these meringues extra unique, are the spices. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are folded in and after they are baked they are dipped into chocolate! What really adds a festive flare, is the crushed peppermint and pistachios that the meringue is finally dipped into after the chocolate.
I chose the peppermint and pistachios because they are festive for the holidays but if you prefer any other nut or to leave them plain, they are just as delicious!
Happy Holiday!
Ingredients
Meringue
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 large egg whites
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
pinch clove
For Dipping
½ cup 60% bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup crushed candy canes
1/4 cup roasted pistachios, finely chopped
Recipe
Preheat oven to 175º F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place egg whites in a stand-mixer bowl with a whip attachment.
In a small pot, add sugar and pour water over sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar mixture begins to simmer. Meanwhile, begin whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
While the egg whites whip, continue to cook sugar until it reaches 240º F. If any sugar sprays onto the sides of the pot, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wipe down the sides, this will prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
Once the sugar syrup reaches the proper temperature, with the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add the hot sugar syrup to egg whites. Pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixer bowl, avoiding the whisk, and allow it to stream into the egg whites gradually. This prevents overheating the egg whites.
Once all the sugar syrup has been added, increase the speed to high and whip whites until the bottom of the mixer bowl should be cool to the touch, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the spices together. Fold the spices into the meringue. Transfer meringue into a piping bag fitted with Wilton 4B piping tip.
On prepared baking sheet, pipe 1-inch wide meringues in a row, spacing ¼-inch apart.
Bake for 2 hours, with oven door just slightly ajar, until dry to the touch. Place a heat-proof spoon in the door if needed, as this will help the steam to escape while baking and prevent the meringues from cracking. Once they are done baked, remove meringues from oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, place the crushed candy canes and nuts into two separate bowls. Place the chocolate into a bowl. Heat each bowl just until chips are mostly melted, then stir to incorporate the small unmelted bits. This will help to keep the chocolate in temper and provide a firm setting of the chocolate. Dip the peppermint meringues into the dark chocolate and then directly into the crushed candy canes. Dip the eggnog meringues into the white chocolate and directly into the hazelnuts. Dip the gingerbread meringues into the milk chocolate and directly into the pistachios. Place all finished meringues onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet to set.
Store meringues in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to three days or seal in gift bags and share with others to enjoy.