Chocolate Spangled Meringue Kisses
The sweetness of the meringue is tempered by the unsweetened chocolate. Our friend Rose is brilliant!
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 36 meringue cookies; serving size 1 cookie
Ingredients:
- 60 grams or ¼ cup (59 ml) 2 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 56 grams or ¼ cup plus ½ tablespoon divided sugar, preferably superfine
- 57 grams or ½ cup lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off powdered sugar
- 28 grams or 1 ounce fine-quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, cut into pieces
Preparation:
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PREHEAT THE OVEN: Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Set the oven at 200ºF/90ºC.
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MISE EN PLACE: Thirty minutes to 1 hour ahead, into the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh or measure the egg whites. Add the cream of tartar and cover.
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If not using superfine sugar, in a food processor, process the granulated sugar until very fine and empty it into a bowl.
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In a food processor, process the powdered sugar with the chocolate until the chocolate is in very fine particles. Cover and refrigerate it.
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It is helpful to draw 1¾ inch circles (5 rows of 4 each), evenly spaced, on the underside of the parchment sheets to serve as guides for piping the meringue, then flip the parchment.
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MAKE THE MERINGUE: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Gradually add ½ tablespoon of the superfine sugar. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining superfine sugar. Raise the speed to high and beat until the meringue is very stiff and glossy.
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Disengage the whisk beater and the bowl from the stand and use the whisk beater to fold in the chilled chocolate mixture by hand. You will need to shake it against the sides of the bowl several times as you fold the mixture, just until evenly incorporated. (The meringue initially will ball up in the middle of the whisk, but using the whisk instead of a spatula ensures the lightest possible meringue.)
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Smudge a dot of the meringue onto each corner of the underside of the parchment to stick it onto the cookie sheet, so that it doesn’t lift off when shaping the meringues.
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SHAPE THE MERINGUES: Spoon about half of the meringue into the pastry bag and pipe 1¾ inch mounds (about 5 grams each) onto each of the cookie sheets. (Hold the pastry bag straight up and down with the pastry tube a little above the surface of the cookie sheet. Stop squeezing and lift off to form a small peak.) Refill the pastry bag as needed. (Alternatively, use two teaspoons to drop mounds of meringue onto the cookie sheet, and use a spoon to swirl the mounds into shape.)
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Allow the meringues to dry at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking, or until set (when touched lightly with your finger the meringue should barely stick to it).
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BAKE THE MERINGUES: Bake for 45 minutes. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from front to back, exchange their positions from top to bottom, and continue baking for another 35 minutes. The meringues should be completely crisp but not beginning to brown. (Test by breaking one of them or digging out a small amount with the tip of a sharp knife. They should be only slightly sticky.) If longer baking is required, continue baking for about 10 more minutes. To make meringues that are entirely crisp, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for an hour.
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COOL THE MERINGUES: Set the cookie sheets on wire racks. Use a thin pancake turner or small metal spatula to lift the meringues onto another wire rack to cool.
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STORE AIRTIGHT: room temperature in low humidity, 1 month.
Notes:
Baking Pearls:
• Meringues soften and become sticky in high humidity.
• Refrigerating the chocolate and powdered sugar mixture ensures that the chocolate spangles don’t melt into the meringue, which provides an attractive contrast.
• These meringues need to be shaped soon after mixing.
• To prevent cracking, do not use convection and do not open the oven door until after 45 minutes of baking.
• If you cover the meringues, but not tightly, they will stay crisp but the insides will become a little chewy.
Make This Recipe Your Own: • The meringues can be piped in different shapes, such as rosettes or hearts.
Variation: COCOA MERINGUES Makes thirty-two 1¾ inch cookies; 176 grams batter • Replace the chocolate with 6 grams/1 tablespoon unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder. For a more attractive color you can add a few drops of red liquid food color to the egg whites before beating. The cocoa meringues require about 10 extra minutes of baking.