Chocolate Meringue Snow
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Piped kiss-shaped meringues dried overnight in the oven, then dipped in melted semisweet chocolate. Light as a snowflake and stunning on a holiday cookie tray.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
65 minREADY
10 hrsPicture tiny white peaks dusted with a coat of chocolate sitting on a holiday platter like little snow-capped mountains. That’s what these are.
The meringue is classic: egg whites whipped with cream of tartar, powdered sugar, and vanilla until glossy and firm, then piped into bite-sized kiss shapes and baked low and slow.
After an hour in the oven, you turn off the heat and let them sit overnight until they’re bone-dry, crisp, and shatteringly light.
The next day, dip the bottoms in melted semisweet chocolate and let them set at room temperature. Makes 24 gorgeous little confections that disappear from a Christmas cookie tray faster than anything else on it.
Chef Tips
- Bring the egg whites to room temperature before whipping. Cold whites won’t reach their full volume.
- Add the powdered sugar gradually while the mixer is running. Dumping it in all at once will deflate the meringue.
- Pipe them in a quick upward motion and pull away sharply at the top for that classic Hershey Kiss shape.
- Let the chocolate set at room temperature, not in the fridge. Refrigeration can cause condensation that makes the meringue sticky and soft.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk until the whites become foamy.
Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy.
Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them.
Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Arrange meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached.
Pipe 24 bite-sized “kiss"-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven.
Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
Melt chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds.
Holding each meringue by the peak dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated.
Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Allow to set at room temperature - do not put in the fridge.
Once set, store in an airtight container.
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