Double Chocolate Meringue Cookies

‘Tis the season for cookies! What is it about the holidays and cookies? We eat them all year but eating cookies with a glass of milk at Christmastime is extra special. And sharing them with loved ones? Precious.

Old Christmas traditions

I always say Christmas in the Philippines is pretty hard to beat. The unofficial Christmas season starts in September and you have to be a major scrooge not to get caught up in it.

Then on Christmas Eve, families would attend midnight mass and, with the whole community, countdown to Christmas together. Noche Buena follows where all your favourite things are on the table; it’s really a sight to behold.

So when I moved to Canada, my first Christmas here was…different. Truth was, I’ve never felt farther away from home. It’s gotten better though. And a lot of it has to do with all the new traditions we started to make Christmas here our own.

New Christmas traditions

Like our own little Christmas countdown. Not as exciting or as festive as the one back home but just as special. I would love to say we sit by the fire but seeing that we live in a condo we just sit on our sofa (LOL!), listen to holiday music and wait for midnight.

And unlike the countdown on NYE where Champagne is flowing and fancy hors d’oeuvres are passed around though, our Christmas countdown is more relaxed, more muted.

It usually consists of what I baked that day and good old Canadian milk (big shoutout to Dairy Farmers of Canada for working hard to make Canadian milk exceptional. Find out more about them here.)

Because let’s remember that the holidays are all about sharing too. The gifts and the lights and the songs are nice but at the end of the day, it’s about spending time with the people you love. And sharing milk and cookies with them.

How to make chocolate meringue cookies

So how do you make these chewy dark chocolate meringue cookies? It’s super easy! (For the detailed recipe, scroll to the bottom of the page for a printable recipe card.)

1. PREP YOUR COOKIE SHEET. Preheat oven to 250F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. WHIP EGG WHITES. Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt on medium speed until soft peaks (6-8 minutes).

3. SLOWLY ADD SUGAR TO REACH STIFF PEAKS. Switch to low speed and very slowly (I do it one teaspoon at a time) add granulated sugar until your meringue is stiff, sticky and glossy (5-6 minutes).

4. ADD COCOA POWDER. Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top of the meringue and gently fold until combined.

5. ADD CHOPPED CHOCOLATE. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate (you can also use chocolate chips) on top of that and fold 2-3 times just until the chocolate is spread out (you don’t want to fully incorporate, you want to see chunks of chocolate in places).

6. SCOOP INTO PAN. Drop the meringue onto your prepared pans by the tablespoonful and gently flatten and swirl the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

7. BAKE AND DRY THE MERINGUE for 10 minutes then turn the oven off. Leave the pans in the oven for at least 6 hours or overnight. Do not open the oven door so the meringues can dry properly. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Easy chocolate meringue cookies FAQs

These meringue cookies are so easy to make you’d want to make them all year long. Here are some frequently asked questions to make it even easier.

Tips for perfect meringue each time

There are two important things to remember so you’ll have perfect chocolate meringue each time:

1. Make sure your egg whites are room temperature. They whip better and are more stable.
2. Ensure your bowl and your whisk are absolutely grease-free. Oil is meringue’s enemy so you want to make sure there is not a spot of oil or grease on anything.

How to prevent double chocolate meringue cookies from cracking

The main reason meringues crack is they cool too quickly.

This is why it’s important to leave them in the oven (with the oven turned off) to allow them to cool gradually. In this case, I leave them in the oven for at least 6 hours, or overnight if I can.

Can you freeze meringue cookies?

You can freeze meringue and they can last for up to a month. However, you have to keep in mind that:

1. Meringue cookies have fragile shells so if you mean to freeze them, ensure that they’re not haphazardly stacked on top of one another and that you’re using a freezer-safe container and not a Ziploc bag that can be squished.
2. Thawing may prove a little problematic because you don’t want the cookies to absorb any moisture. Otherwise, they will get soft and soggy. So when defrosting, take the meringue cookies out of their container and place on wire racks. Watch like a hawk and serve immediately.

I personally don’t like freezing meringue because of this. Instead, see below.

What’s the best way to store chocolate meringue cookies?

These double chocolate meringue cookies can last up to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate; you can leave them on the counter.

The most important thing here is that your container is airtight. Moisture and meringue are not friends.

I do stack the cookies on top of another. They are pretty light so there’s little chance that the bottom ones will get crushed. What I do is gently place them in the cookie jar, carefully placing each one.

Other Christmas cookie recipes perfect with milk

Looking to add to your Christmas cookie arsenal? Try these delicious holiday cookie recipes:

• Double Chocolate Chewy M&M Cookies. Made with Christmas M&Ms, they are fun, festive and so good.
• White Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies. Delightfully sweet and salty in one delicious bite.
• Very Chocolatey Chocolate Crinkles. Soft, chewy and very chocolatey, they’re on everyone’s favourite Christmas cookie list.
• Chewy Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Soft, chewy and chocolatey with huge chunks of dark chocolate.

Double Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Author: Jolina

Double chocolate meringue cookies - crispy outside, chewy and chocolatey inside, light as a cloud. Great on its own, amazing with a tall glass of milk.

5 from 18 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Cooling Time 6 hrs

Total Time 6 hrs 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Servings 36 cookies

Calories 41 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 5 egg whites room temperature
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 3.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped

Instructions

 

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 250F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• ▢
  Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk 5 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and a pinch of salt on medium speed until soft peaks (6-8 minutes).
• ▢
  Switch to low speed and very slowly (I do it one teaspoon at a time) add the 1 cup of sugar until your meringue is stiff, sticky and glossy (5-6 minutes).
• ▢
  Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top of the meringue and gently fold until combined. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top of that and fold 2-3 times just until the chocolate is spread out (you don't want to fully incorporate, you want to see chunks of chocolate in places).
• ▢
  Drop meringue onto your prepared pans by the tablespoonful and gently flatten and swirl the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• ▢
  Bake for 10 minutes (position your pans in the middle of your oven - for me this means placing them in the top and lower third racks) then turn the oven off. Leave the pans in the oven for at least 6 hours or overnight. Do not open the oven door so the meringues can dry properly.
• ▢
  Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 41kcalCarbohydrates: 7gFat: 1gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 38mgSugar: 6gCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutritional information are estimates only.

Keyword Christmas, Cookie Swap, Easy, Holiday Baking, Holidays

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Happy baking!

Did you make double chocolate meringue cookies? What’s your favourite cookie to munch on with milk? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Here are more ideas on how to incorporate milk throughout the holidays.

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