Dark Chocolate Meringues are an easy meringue recipe made with just 4 ingredients. Such pretty cookies with a delicious light & airy texture!
Who loves meringues? They were my mother’s absolute favorite. So whenever I’m missing her, I like to whip up a batch.
They are simple to make, taste positively delicious, and because they are made with egg whites, contain no flour – so they are gluten-free and a little lighter in calories than some of my other cookies.
I was planning for some birthdays coming up and picked up some dark cocoa powder. Not only will it make some gorgeous cakes, but I was super excited to try it in some cookies.
These dark chocolate meringues were my first thought. So light and airy – I could eat 100 of them.
easy chocolate meringue cookie recipe
Have you ever made meringues before? They are so simple, quite versatile and yet so elegant. No wonder my mom loved them so much.
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is the best way to store meringue cookies?
So the key here is to make sure the meringues are completely cooled before packing them in an airtight container. If they have any warmth to them at all once they are packed – the warmth will create just enough condensation to ruin the texture of the cookie.
Once completely cooled – you can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. I have heard that they can be frozen so long as they don’t get any moisture in the container. But I personally don’t like to do that.
chocolate meringues
Can meringues be made with powdered egg whites?
Yes! You can use powdered egg whites + water – (1 teaspoon of egg whites & 1 tablespoon of water for each egg you wish to replace) to replace the eggs in this recipe.
Can meringues be made with meringue powder?
Yes – you can do that too! Use the same measurements as you would when using powdered egg whites.
recipe for chocolate meringues
Do I really need to use cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites and prevent cracking. If you don’t have it, this recipe can definitely be made without it! But I highly recommend it.
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Because of the speed at which the egg whites need to be whipped in order to reach the stiff peaks stage, I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe by hand. You can try it with a hand mixer – but even that will be quite an arm workout.
chocolate meringue cookies
HOW DO YOU MAKE Chocolate Meringues?
- Preheat the oven to 225F.
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed (Kitchenaid #8) until the egg whites become foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar, is using.
- Next, with the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly add the sugar about one tablespoon at a time. Adding all of the sugar should take about two minutes.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks, gently fold in the cocoa powder. Be very gentle, making sure to not deflate the egg whites!
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star, large round, or large open star attachments. Pipe small dollops (about 1” in diameter) that are at least 1″ inch apart.
- Bake the meringues for exactly one hour, and then turn off the oven and slightly open the oven door but leave the meringues inside! Allow them to slowly cool to room temperature inside the warm but cooling oven.
- Once the meringues have cooled, place them in an airtight container, and store them at room temperature for up to three days.
Can mix-ins be added?
You can add things like finely chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips. But I would advise being very gently when folding those into the whipped meringue as too much mixing can deflate the mixture and ruin the recipe.
meringues
To make Dark Chocolate Meringues you will need…
- large egg whites
- cream of tartar – optional
- granulated sugar
- dark cocoa powder – not Dutch-Processed
Can I use a sugar substitute?
Yes – you can use a sugar substitute to make meringues. Be sure to read the packaging since a lot of them aren’t a 1:1 replacement. I think brands like Splenda call for 1/2 as much as what the recipe calls for in sugar.
Can this recipe be doubled?
You can, and we do it often. It might take a bit longer to get all those egg whites to whip to the proper peaks, but overall doubling works fine.
easy meringue recipe
What is the difference between Dutch-process cocoa powder and regular cocoa powder?
So Dutch-processed cocoa powder is also referred to as alkalized cocoa. This powder starts with cocoa beans that have been washed in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate, also used in the production of soap and glass.
By doing this, it neutralizes the acidity of the beans, making the beans neutral. This is important because when they are neutral, they do not react with baking soda. Instead, it is often paired with baking powder.
So – long story short – using regular cocoa powder vs Dutch-process cocoa powder will yield a completely different rise and texture to any recipe you are making.
So I highly recommend paying close attention to the type of cocoa powder called for in each recipe and sticking to it for that reason.
Can chocolate meringues be made with confectioner’s sugar?
You bet they can! Use 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar for this recipe. Make sure it is well-sifted before measuring.
How do I properly measure the confectioner’s sugar?
The official way is to spoon the sugar into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the sugar isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.
Sometimes if you fluff the sugar with a spoon, then gently scoop it into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack it in – that can work. But for THIS RECIPE you will need to use the spoon and level method.
meringue cookie recipe
Products I love when making dark chocolate meringues…
This chocolate meringue cookies recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you most likely already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made meringues before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
- egg whites
- meringue powder
- cream of tartar – optional
- granulated sugar
- dark cocoa powder
- mixer
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- piping bag
- star piping tip
- open star piping tip
- round piping tip
best meringue recipe
If you love this Easy Chocolate Meringue Cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Dark Chocolate Meringues
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar optional
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tbsp dark cocoa powder not Dutch-Processed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225F.
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed (Kitchenaid #8) until the egg whites become foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar, if using.
- Next, with the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly add the sugar about one tablespoon at a time. Adding all of the sugar should take about two minutes.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks, gently fold in the cocoa powder. Be very gentle, making sure to not deflate the egg whites!
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star, large round, or large open star attachments. Pipe small dollops (about 1” in diameter) that are at least 1″ inch apart.
- Bake the meringues for exactly one hour, and then turn off the oven and slightly open the oven door but leave the meringues inside! Allow them to slowly cool to room temperature inside the warm but cooling oven.
- Once the meringues have cooled, place them in an airtight container, and store them at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
meringues have so you want it to be a good one! You can always dip or drizzle the meringues with dark chocolate once they cool. Just allow the chocolate to fully set before storing.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
