Chocolate Strawberry Meringue Cookies Recipe

Meringue cookies are such a delightful treat — with their crisp exterior and melt-in-your mouth interior, they offer a fun contrast in textures. These chocolate strawberry meringue cookies from recipe developer Jessica Morone are even more fun. In addition to the crisp and chewy textures, you are getting the sweet, fruity essence of strawberries and the decadence of chocolate. Produced with just a handful of ingredients, these cookies are a testament to how even simple components can create something elegant and delicious.

"These cookies are the perfect cookie for anyone who loves light, refreshing desserts," says Morone. "These strawberry meringue cookies are a great way to enjoy the sweetness of strawberries in a delicate and airy way." Chocolate and strawberries are a classic combination for a reason, and the rich chocolate in these pairs perfectly with the flavor of the strawberries. As a bonus, these are also incredibly pretty — everyone is sure to be impressed when you present these at any upcoming gathering you have!

Before you start making these meringues, you need to grab the ingredients. These use freeze-dried strawberries, egg whites, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla extract, red food coloring, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Cream of tartar is an important ingredient in meringues because it helps to stabilize the egg whites. But, if you don't have any cream of tartar, it can generally be substituted with ¼ teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar per egg white. The red food coloring makes your meringues a pretty pink color, but if you prefer white meringues, the food coloring can be left out of this recipe. 

Preheat the oven to 225 F.

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper, then set aside.

Add the freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the strawberries are ground to a dusty consistency. Set aside.

Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium with the whisk attachment until they begin to become frothy.

Add the cream of tartar and beat on high for another 30 seconds.

Continue beating the egg whites on high, adding one tablespoon of granulated sugar at a time until it is all integrated.

Keep beating on high until the mixture becomes shiny and has stiff peaks (about 15 minutes).

Sift the strawberry powder into the bowl.

Add the salt, vanilla extract, and red food coloring to the bowl, and gently mix together until combined.

Add the batter to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe it onto the prepared baking sheets.

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven without opening it, then let the baking sheets sit in the oven for another hour.

Add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave in 15-second increments until fully melted.

Dip the bottoms of each meringue cookie in the melted chocolate, then place them back on the baking sheet to harden.

Once the chocolate is set, serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

While meringue is only made with a few ingredients, it is notoriously tricky to get right. But, it doesn't have to be, because there are a few tricks that you can use to ensure perfect meringues. 

Making sure that your eggs whip up perfectly is one of the most important steps with meringue. Use room temperature eggs, which will whip up easier and have a greater volume than colder eggs. Make sure that your bowl and beaters are completely clean before you use them, as any fat can keep the egg whites from whipping up properly. Make sure that the eggs are separated carefully. Any yolk that gets into the whites will also keep the egg whites from whipping up properly. And, make sure that your eggs are beaten to stiff, glossy peaks. This means that when you look at them, the egg whites will hold a peak that stands up straight without drooping. 

Baking meringues "low and slow" ensures that they dry out completely without browning or cracking. Another trick is to leave the oven closed after the meringues are baked. Letting them cool completely to room temperature will prevent cracking and deflation. The final trick, according to Ina Garten, is that you should skip making meringue on humid or rainy days, because the moisture in the air can keep them from drying properly.

Humidity is the enemy of meringues, and it can cause them to get soft and sticky. You can take a few steps to keep your meringue cookies nice and crisp. The first is to make sure they are completely cooled before you store them. If they are still hot at all, it can cause condensation to form in the container you put them in, and the cookies will end up sticky. Once they are totally cool, you should store them in an airtight container. This will keep any moisture in the air from getting into the cookies. 

A trick you can use to store meringues at room temperature is actually to add a silica gel packet to the container to help absorb any excess moisture. This will keep them fresh for several weeks. Just make sure that the packets are food-safe and not in direct contact with the cookies. Another great place to keep meringue cookies is in the freezer — the cool, dry air will keep them nice and crisp for several months.