One of my favorite things to top desserts with are meringue cookies. They’re as light as air and they look so pretty and whimsical! The color and flavor combinations are endless, so you can really have some fun getting creative. I decided to whip some up, especially for placing on top of my favorite brownies. They take even the most humble brownies to a new level. You can use your favorite brownie recipe or even a boxed brownie mix. I won’t judge! I like to make the meringues a day or two ahead since they take quite a while to bake in the oven. While they bake, a subtle chocolate scent will waft through your kitchen, reminding you of the smell of hot cocoa. They even taste like hot cocoa! You can make your brownies a few hours ahead or the night before. I cut mine into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. I cut 12 rounds of this size from a 13 x 9-inch batch of brownies. Right before serving, spoon some thick, glossy chocolate ganache on the brownies, then top them with your pretty meringues! To make these little bits of chocolate heaven, you’ll need:
- 1 batch Cocoa Meringues (recipe below)
- 1 batch of your favorite brownies
- 1 batch chocolate ganache (see notes)
Cocoa Meringues
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- â…› teaspoon cream of tartar
- â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
- â…“ cup (67g) fine granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- ÂĽ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- Brown gel food coloring *optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ÂşF (95ÂşC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Place the egg whites in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites with the whip attachment of an electric mixer, at medium speed, until foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites. Whip at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue whipping, at medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Stop the mixer. Sprinkle the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture over the egg whites and whip at low speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
- *This step is optional. Place a large, disposable pastry bag, fitted with a round piping tip, into a tall drinking glass. (I used a Wilton tip #12.) Fold the top third of the bag over the glass, forming a cuff. Using a small, clean paintbrush, paint thin, vertical stripes of food coloring on the inside of the bag, from the piping tip to the edge of the fold.
- Spoon the egg white mixture into the pastry bag. Pipe small kisses, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. (I made mine about 3/4-inch to 1-inch in diameter. If you'd like larger kisses, use a larger size piping tip.)
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in oven to cool and continue drying out for an additional 2 hours. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
This looks absolutely mouthwatering! What a creative idea.
Thank you, Opal! I hope you’ll stop by again soon!