Chocolate Meringue Cookies With Hazelnut Espresso Wellplated Com

A classic French confection, meringue cookies are easy to make, low calorie, and gluten free. Talk about angel food! Meringue cookies are probably the one major French contribution to the world of pastry that doesn’t involve copious amounts of butter, flour, or cream, a fact that made me suspicious of them when I first traveled to France (I headed straight for the French Hot Chocolate and Strawberry Crepes instead). Boy, did I misjudge. These tender cookies are lighter than air, sinfully sweet, and have a slight chew in the middle that makes it nearly impossible to not grab a second (or third). Needless to say, I became intimately acquainted with meringue cookies during my travels abroad in France. Chocolate meringue cookies especially became (and remain) a frequent afternoon pick-me-up (as are Dark Chocolate Cookies). If you’re unfamiliar with the magic that is a meringue cookie, let me enlighten you (pun intended) with a few quick facts:

In place of typical baking standbys flour, baking powder, and butter, meringue cookies are comprised mainly of eggs whites whipped into a fluffy frenzy and sugar—making them a gluten free dessert (like this Almond Flour Cake with Lemon). Ground nuts are often used too.Meringue cookies come in endless flavors combinations. The chocolate meringue cookies recipe I’m sharing today features additions of ground hazelnuts, espresso, and bittersweet chocolate, but you can easily tweak it.The batter is gloriously shiny and can either be scooped simply or elegantly piped onto a baking sheet, before being baked low and slow.

Thus the resulting confection is delicate, crisp on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth soft and chewy on the inside (also favorite features of my Brownie Cookies). Très magnifique!

How to Make Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Chewy chocolate meringue cookies fascinate me to no end. How clear egg white goop transforms into stiff glossy peaks laced with ground hazelnuts, cocoa powder and a hint of espresso will never cease to amaze me.

The Ingredients

Egg Whites. The vital base that’s essential for making perfectly light and ethereal chocolate meringue cookies. (Use the separated egg yolks to make some Oat Milk Ice Cream.)

Sugar. Sugar both sweetens the meringue cookies but also helps stabilize the egg whites and turn them into fluffy, foamy clouds of wondrous delight.Chocolate. Classic meringue cookies can sometimes be excessively sweet. The addition of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder in these double chocolate meringue cookies tempers their sweetness perfectly.Hazelnuts. Adds a lovely nutty flavor and texture to the cookies.

Espresso Powder. Enhances the bold flavor of these dark chocolate meringue cookies (just like in these One Bowl Brownies).

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Keep leftover chocolate meringue cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. To Freeze. Meringue cookies may be kept in the freezer for several months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Mini Food Processor. Perfect for smaller jobs when you don’t want to bust out a gigantic 12-cup processor.Baking Sheet. An essential tool for anyone who loves to bake. The commercial-grade aluminum is so durable.Small Ice Cream Scoop. For scooping uniform amounts of meringue onto your baking sheet.

So grab yourself a plate of chocolate meringue cookies and prepare to be carried away to the clouds over Paris with your first bite. Frenchman and Eiffel Tower not included.