Mocha Swirl Meringues
Well my friends, we’re nearing the end of February, so I thought we could all use one more chocolate recipe. Chocolate month continues this week with one of my favorite flavor combinations in one of my favorite treats. These Mocha Swirl Meringues combine my love of chocolate with my love of coffee, all in a crisp and airy meringue. Plus, they’re shaped like snowballs which is appropriate because it’s still very much winter around here.
This is the time of year when I start to get antsy for Spring. Unfortunately for me, Spring is still a long way off here in Northern Minnesota. We’ll likely still get a couple of good snowstorms in before everything starts to melt sometime in May. (There have been years when we still have snow on the ground in early June!) Don’t get me wrong, I actually love winter (otherwise I definitely wouldn’t live here), but by the end of February it just starts to feel SO long, SO dark, and SO grey. I need a bit of a respite, and if I can’t get away to somewhere warm and beachy, well, at least there’s chocolate and coffee.
Meringues Forever
I didn’t discover the joy of meringues until a few years ago. I can’t remember when I first had them, but I know it was a revelation. They are light, airy, and crisp, but can still pack a punch of flavor. If you’re craving a rich gooey brownie, they won’t help you much. But if you’re in the mood for a sweet treat without the intensity or heaviness of a brownie or cake, meringues are just the ticket.
Winter is the best time of year to make meringues since there is less humidity in the air, and humidity is the enemy of meringues. If the air in your home is fairly humid, your meringues will likely turn out soft and chewy, rather than dry and crisp. Even once they’re baked, they will soften up fast if they’re exposed to humidity, so make sure to store them in an airtight container, preferably in a dry environment.
If you haven’t made meringues before, I’d suggest starting with my basic meringues recipe. This one isn’t much different, but will be easier once you’ve made basic meringues once or twice. To make the snowball shape for these, I used this cookie scoop from Oxo. It’s a 3 1/2″ diameter scoop. You could also use a couple of big spoons if you don’t have a scoop.
You’ll swirl the melted chocolate into these in a couple of ways: First, by drizzling it right into the bowl of meringue and folding it in a little; Then, by putting a dollop of chocolate onto the top of each meringue and swirling it in. I used a chopstick for this part, but a toothpick could work, or even a butter knife. You just want to swirl the chocolate into the meringue a little bit to create a prettyish swirl of chocolate on top.
Meringues can seem intimidating at first, but once you make them a few times you’ll find they’re actually quite simple. They provide major “wow” factor when you serve them, but in reality they take very little effort.
Ready to give them a try?
Mocha Swirl Meringues
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 c bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Mix together sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and instant espresso and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), whip egg whites at medium-high speed until frothy.
- Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form – a total of about 3 minutes of mixing.
- Continue beating and add sugar mixture 1T at a time. Then add vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
- Beat another 2-3 minutes, or until you have glossy, stiff peaks. Meringue will be fluffy and will start to become drier at this point.
- Drizzle a little of the melted chocolate on top of the meringue, and use a spatula to gently fold the chocolate in. Only do two or three turns with the spatula – you don't want to mix the chocoalte in, just swirl it a bit.
- Scoop meringue onto cookie sheets using a large cookie scoop, leaving an inch or so in between them. Drizzle more chocolate onto the meringue in the bowl as desired, folding in as before. Save a little chocolate for topping the meringues off at the end.
- Once you have all of your meringue scooped onto cookie sheets, take the rest of the melted chocolate and spoon a little dollop onto the top of each meringue (about 1/4 tsp or so). Then use a chopstick, toothpick, or something similar to swirl the chocolate into the top of the meringue a little.
- Place cookie sheets in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250°F.
- Bake for 50-75 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. When done, meringues should be puffed, dry, and beginning to crack. They will sound hollow if you tap them on the bottom. The bottoms shouldn’t be turning brown yet (though if they have don't worry – they’ll still be delicious).
- Leaving the cookie sheets in the oven, turn off the heat and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Leave meringues in the oven to cool and continue to dry out for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Stored at room temperature in an airtight container and away from moisture, meringues will keep several days.
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