These Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies are a huge hit with kids. I like that they are so low in fat, naturally gluten-free, and are nut-free, too. An easy cookie to take to school that the kids will scream for more.
I like to make them in small little mounds, so this recipe then makes a lot. They look like little puffed clouds. You have to have your oven on for a long time to bake the meringue, so you might as well make it worth it. Want more meringue desserts? Then try our classic Lemon Meringue Pie, Cinnamon Meringue Cookies, or a Rhubarb Meringue Dessert.
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Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies are so easy to make; you are going to want to make them all the time! With their wonderful crunch on the outside and their soft, chewy center, they are a hit with young and old alike!
What is in Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies?
Ingredients
- Egg whites
- Superfine sugar
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Yes, that’s it, just 3 ingredients! Although once you get comfortable making meringues, you can start to play around with the ingredients a little bit anyway.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Start by separating the egg white from the yolks. You can save the yolks for use in another recipe. Do not get any of the yolks in the whites, as this will ruin the meringues.
Next, preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.
Have ready two lined baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats and set them aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Now it’s time to start to add the sugar. Start at low speed and slowly add the sugar a bit at a time. Increase the speed of the mixer to high speed slowly and continue to gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time.
Whisk until the egg whites have a glossy finish and stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. You don’t want to lose the airiness of the egg whites.
Using a very large pastry bag or in two batches with a plain or large star tip, fill the bag with the meringue. Pipe small mounds about 1 1/2″ in size onto the prepared baking sheets about 1″ apart.
Bake the chocolate chip meringue cookies until completely dried out; be careful not to brown them. You may want to rotate the baking pans to prevent this. It will take between 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Because they last a long time at room temperature, I never freeze them as this can be tricky, and any amount of moisture will ruin them and make them stick and lose their crunch.
Variations
Meringues have been around for literally hundreds of years, invented in the 1720s! As you can imagine, there are a great many variations that have been developed since then.
Some people like to add a tiny bit of cream of tartar when mixing their meringues. This does help stabilize the egg whites and prevents the sugar from crystallizing. To gauge, you can use 1/2 teaspoon for 6 egg whites. I don’t use cream of tartar in this recipe, but I find they are so small that they are not weighted down and stay standing easily.
Rather than using chocolate chips, you could add cocoa powder if you like it still chocolatey. For a bit more flavor, you could add in a splash of vanilla extract, but not too much, as you don’t want to thin out the egg whites. A teaspoon will be fine. Other extracts work well for flavoring, too.
Some people will often turn off the oven and leave their pans in the oven overnight to dry out their meringues. I have found that this is an especially good method if you are making larger meringue rounds.
Other traditional meringues are piped into a larger circle and served filled with fresh fruits; yummo!
Other flavor variations are:
Cinnamon
Peppermint
Lemon
Strawberry
Nutella
Peanut Butter
Almond
Orange
Or any combination of those flavors that you would like. Again, thinking of extracts as a small amount goes a long way. Plus, you can color them to the flavor you want, also with a little gel coloring. You could easily divide your batter up and make different flavors and a rainbow of colors.
Also, meringue cookies make great fun for Halloween or Valentine’s Day with ghost meringues or heart meringues.
The process of making meringue is the same, so have a little fun and play around with the ingredients. I know your family is going to love these light-as-air melts-in-your-mouth dessert bites!
Try these cookies with your family. They will become a new household favorite!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Mini Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
- 2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standup mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a few Tbsp. of the sugar in and whisk at low speed.
- Increase speed and gradually add the sugar in one spoonful at a time. Continue until the egg whites have a glossy finish and hold stiff peaks. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a very large pastry bag or in two batches with a plain tip, fill the bag with the meringue. Pipe small mounds about 1 1/2" onto the prepared baking sheets about 1" apart.
- Bake meringues until completely dried out, be careful not to brown them. You may want to rotate the baking pans to prevent this. Bake for 2 1/2-3 hours.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Comments & Reviews
Martiel Beatty says
These look amazing!!! Oh yum! Totally coming back for more Tara 🙂
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks so much Martiel!!