Desserts
Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Prep
20 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Yield
24
🍫 These chocolate meringue cookies are crispy, chewy, and swirled with strawberry! Light as air, naturally gluten-free, and so pretty!
Not only are these swirled chocolate meringue cookies absolutely stunning to look at, but they also taste incredible with rich chocolate flavor, hints of vanilla, and sweet freeze-dried strawberries. This chocolate meringue cookies recipe will seriously wow your friends and family because it looks hella fancy but only takes 20 minutes of active prep time. The combination of crispy, crackly exteriors with soft, marshmallowy centers creates an irresistible texture that’s completely addictive.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Chocolate Meringue Cookies
- Quick Prep: Prep these gorgeous cookies in only 20 minutes of active time and have them ready to serve in about an hour.
- Satisfyingly Sweet: These will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth with their crispy-chewy texture and sugary goodness.
- Impressively Easy: This recipe makes you look like a professional baker without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: Made with just egg whites, sugar, and flavorings, these are perfect for gluten-free diets.
🍲 Ingredients
Egg Whites – The star of meringue cookies, egg whites provide the protein structure that traps air bubbles when whipped, creating that signature light, airy texture. Room temperature egg whites whip to greater volume than cold ones, and they contain virtually no fat, which is essential because even a tiny bit of fat prevents proper whipping. Egg whites are pure protein with no cholesterol, making these cookies surprisingly light despite their sweetness.
Granulated Sugar – Sugar does much more than sweeten meringues—it stabilizes the egg white foam, prevents weeping, and creates that gorgeous glossy shine and crispy-chewy texture. The sugar dissolves into the egg whites when heated, creating a stable meringue that holds its shape beautifully during baking. Use regular granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar for the best texture and stability in classic meringue cookies.
👩🍳 How to Make Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Prepare Your Workspace:
- Preheat oven to 200-225°F for traditional crispy meringues, or 300°F for chewier centers (some prefer 350°F for soft, marshmallowy centers as in the original recipe—see variations below).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Prepare two piping bags fitted with large round tips (about ½-inch opening).
Prepare the Flavoring Powders:
- Using a mortar and pestle or placing freeze-dried strawberries in a ziplock bag and crushing with a rolling pin, grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Sift to remove any large pieces. Set aside.
- Sift the cocoa powder to remove any lumps. Set aside separately from the strawberry powder.
Make the Meringue Base:
- Bring a pot with a few inches of water to a strong simmer over medium heat.
- In a clean, grease-free medium-sized stainless steel or glass bowl, combine egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Set the bowl on top of the pot with simmering water, creating a double boiler. The bowl should sit above the water without touching it.
- Continuously whisk the egg whites and sugar, heating until the sugar has completely dissolved. Test by rubbing a small amount between your fingers—it should feel smooth, not grainy. This occurs at 120°F (50°C). This step pasteurizes the eggs and helps create stable meringue.
Whip the Meringue:
- Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from heat and transfer the mixture to a clean, dry medium or large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer).
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and sugar on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. The meringue should be thick, shiny, and hold its shape when you lift the whisk. This takes 5-10 minutes depending on your mixer.
- Add the vanilla extract and whip for another minute until fully incorporated.
Flavor and Swirl:
- Remove half of the meringue and transfer to another clean bowl, dividing it evenly.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder to one bowl and the sifted cocoa powder to the other bowl.
- Gently fold each powder into its respective meringue bowl using a spatula. Fold just 3-4 times to create swirls—don’t overmix or you’ll lose the beautiful marbled effect. The meringue should look streaky and swirled, not fully incorporated.
Pipe and Bake:
- Transfer each flavored meringue to a prepared piping bag. For a marbled effect, you can also place both meringues side-by-side in one large piping bag.
- Hold the piping bag perpendicular about 1cm above the prepared baking sheet. Squeeze the mixture out while slowly lifting the bag to form 1½-2 inch diameter meringue kisses or cookies. Space them 2 inches apart.
- For traditional crispy meringues: Bake at 200-225°F for 1-1½ hours until completely dry and they easily lift off the parchment. Turn off the oven and let them cool inside with the door closed for 1 hour.
- For chewy-centered meringues: Bake at 300°F for 25-30 minutes until the outsides are crisp and lightly golden.
- For soft, marshmallowy meringues (original method): Bake at 350°F for 16 minutes. The meringues will grow slightly, develop cracks on top, look shiny, and remain soft in the center.
- Allow the meringues to cool completely on the baking sheets before carefully removing them. They’re delicate when warm!
- Serve once completely cooled. The texture will be at its best.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Clean Equipment: Make sure all bowls, whisks, and tools are completely free of grease or oil, as even a tiny bit will prevent egg whites from whipping properly.
- Room Temperature: Use room temperature egg whites for maximum volume and stability when whipping.
- Sugar Dissolution: Don’t rush the heating step—fully dissolved sugar prevents grainy, weeping meringues.
- Stiff Peaks: Whip until the meringue holds stiff peaks that stand straight up when you lift the whisk—this ensures proper structure.
🗒 Variations
- Peppermint Chocolate Meringue Cookies: Add ½ teaspoon peppermint extract instead of vanilla and fold crushed candy canes or peppermint candies into the chocolate meringue for festive holiday cookies.
- Chocolate Chip Meringues: Fold mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate into the meringue after whipping for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.
- Matcha Swirl: Replace strawberry powder with matcha powder for beautiful green and brown swirled meringues with earthy, sophisticated flavor.
- Dipped Meringues: Once cooled, partially dip the bottoms in melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed nuts, sprinkles, or flaky sea salt for extra decadence.
- Coffee Meringues: Add 1-2 tablespoons instant espresso powder to the chocolate meringue for intense mocha flavor.
🗒 Substitutions
- Cocoa Powder: Use Dutch-process cocoa for deeper chocolate flavor or natural cocoa for brighter taste, or swap for espresso powder for mocha meringues.
- Strawberries: Replace freeze-dried strawberries with freeze-dried raspberries, blueberries, or passion fruit for different fruit flavors.
- Extract: Swap vanilla extract with almond extract, peppermint extract for chocolate-mint meringues, or orange extract for chocolate-orange cookies.
- Sugar: You can use superfine (caster) sugar for even faster dissolving, though granulated works perfectly.
- Egg Whites (Make It Vegan!): Use aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) as an egg white substitute. Use ½ cup (120ml) aquafaba and whip it the same way as egg whites. The flavor and texture will be slightly different but still delicious.
👩🍳 Other Desserts to Make
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
- 10-Minute Peanut Butter Almond Bars
- Vegan Cashew Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Chocolate Chunk Vegan Blondies
- Warm Apple Fritters
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store chocolate meringue cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. They will gradually harden and become crispier over time, so enjoy them fresh for the best texture. Never store meringues in the refrigerator or freezer as the humidity will cause them to become soft, sticky, and lose their signature crispy texture. Keep them away from moisture and humidity at all times.
🤔 Common Questions
This usually happens because of fat contamination. Make sure your bowl and whisk are spotless and grease-free, and ensure no egg yolk got into the whites. Even a tiny drop of yolk or oil will prevent proper whipping. Also, make sure you’re whipping long enough—it can take 5-10 minutes.
Yes! Carton egg whites work perfectly for meringues and are often more convenient. Use ¼ cup (about 60ml) of carton egg whites for every 2 large egg whites called for in the recipe.
Sticky, weeping meringues mean the sugar didn’t fully dissolve or there’s too much humidity. Make sure to heat the egg whites and sugar until the mixture feels completely smooth when rubbed between your fingers, and avoid making meringues on humid days if possible.
It’s all about temperature and time! Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes for soft, marshmallowy centers. You can bake at 300°F for 25-30 minutes for chewy centers with crispy exteriors. Or you can bake at 200-225°F for 1-1½ hours for completely crispy, dry meringues that are crunchy throughout.
Absolutely! A hand mixer works perfectly—it just might take an extra minute or two to reach stiff peaks. You can even whisk by hand, but it will take 10-15 minutes of vigorous whisking and your arm will get tired.
For crispy meringues, they should feel dry to the touch and lift easily off the parchment without sticking. If you prefer chewy meringues, the outsides should be crisp and lightly golden. Or for soft meringues, they’ll be cracked on top and still feel slightly soft when gently pressed.
Cracks are actually normal and often desirable in meringues! They happen when the exterior sets before the interior is fully cooked. If you want smoother meringues, bake at a lower temperature for longer. If you love the crackly look, embrace it—it’s part of their charm!
Lower your oven temperature to 200-225°F and bake longer for pure white meringues. Higher temperatures cause browning, especially with cocoa powder. Some browning is normal and adds flavor.
Your meringue wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks, or you deflated it by overmixing when adding the cocoa and strawberry powder. Whip until peaks stand straight up, and fold flavoring powders in gently with just a few strokes.
Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and prepare two piping bags with large round tips.
- Using a mortar + pestle or a bag + rolling pin, crush the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Set aside.
- Bring a pot, with a few inches of water, to a strong simmer.
- In a medium-sized stainless steel or glass bowl, combine egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Set the bowl on top of the pot with simmering water. The bowl should remain higher than the water level.
- Continuously mix and heat the egg whites and granulated sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. This will occur at 120F (50F).
- Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat and transfer to a new medium or large-sized bowl.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks have formed. The meringue will look shiny. This will take 5 – 10 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, and whip for another minute.
- Remove half of the meringue and transfer to another bowl.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder to one bowl, and cocoa powder to the other.
- Fold the powders into the meringue slightly, just to see a swirl.
- Transfer each flavored meringue mix to a piping bag.
- Holding the piping bag perpendicular 1cm overtop of a baking sheet, squeeze the mixture out while lifting the bag slightly to form meringues. Space the meringues 2 inches apart, while having the size between 1 ½ – 2 inches in diameter.
- Bake the meringues for 16 minutes.
- The meringues will have grown a bit in size, be slightly cracked on top, look quite shiny, and be soft in the center.
- Allow the meringues to cool completely on the baking sheets before removing them.
- Serve once completely cooled.
Loved!