Chocolate Meringue Cookies are easy-to-make, melt-in-your-mouth treats with BIG chocolate flavor! Just a few ingredients are needed to make these fun, delicious cookies!
Making meringue isn’t just for cookies. We love it on top of our lemon meringue pie too! And of course brown sugar meringue is what makes our mud hen bars epic and delicious!
Why This Recipe Works
Meringue cookies, made with whipped egg whites and sugar, are light and airy, perfectly sweet cookies that just melt in your mouth!
And this recipe makes them even tastier with chocolate flavor in the cookie and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top, too!
- Meringues require just a few simple, on-hand ingredients. No flour or butter needed!
- They seem fancy, but they’re actually really easy to make! Just whip up the batter with a mixer and bake on low then let cool completely before removing from the oven.
- They’re also really easy to eat! Everyone will want to pop a couple of these delicious cookies. They’re kind-of addictive!
Love meringues? Try our strawberry meringues next! Or give our chocolate mint meringues a whirl, so good and easy.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg whites – Separate the whites from the yolk and use only the egg whites for making these cookies. Save the yolks to make our easy lemon curd!
- Vanilla – Be sure to use PURE vanilla extract, not imitation. Try homemade vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder gives the meringue cookies a deep chocolate flavor throughout. Use a good quality brand for best results.
- Mini chocolate chips – These get sprinkled on top of the cookies before they bake and add an extra chocolate boost.
Easy Instructions
Soft peaks. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar with a whisk attachment in a clean, dry bowl for several minutes until soft peaks form.
Stiff peaks. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Then fold in the cocoa powder until well combined.
Pipe cookies. Use a piping bag (or spoon) to pipe the cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Each one should be about 1 1/2 inches wide. Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips.
Bake and wait. Bake the cookies at 225 degrees F for 1 hour. Then KEEP them in the oven for at least 2 hours to let them cool before opening the oven and removing the baking sheets.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a clean, dry mixing bowl. Make sure your bowl is completely DRY before adding the ingredients! Even a little bit of moisture can prevent the meringues from forming.
- Along those lines, don’t bake meringue cookies on a humid day, or store them in the house when it’s humid. They won’t set up properly.
- Separate egg whites and yolks carefully. Make sure the egg whites are completely separate and free from any bits of yolk. The yolk can make it difficult to whip the meringue into stiff peaks.
- Don’t add the sugar too soon. Wait until the egg whites look nice and foamy before adding in the sugar. Adding it too early may mean the meringue doesn’t fluff.
- Check your oven temperature! If your oven runs hot, be careful here. The idea behind baking these for so long at a really low temperature is that they’re slowly drying out more than they’re baking. An oven that’s too hot will kill the light consistency of the cookie.
- Make overnight. I usually bake meringues in the evening then leave them in the oven to harden overnight. The next day you’ll wake up to ready-to-eat meringue cookies!
Recipe FAQs
Once baked, meringues should be light and crisp, but not browned. You will know when they are done when the meringue cookie can easily be lifted from the piece of parchment paper and the bottoms are dry.
Meringue cookies tend to crack when the oven is too hot. Double check your temperature with an oven thermometer before baking. Also, be sure not to open the oven at all to peek at the cookies – that can also cause cracks.
I use a frosting bag fitted with the star shaped tip. Pipe the meringue onto the baking sheet from directly vertical, holding it in the same spot until the cookie is 1 1/2 inches wide, then pull upward at the end to form the pretty pointed tip.
If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a spoon and simply scoop the meringue onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Meringue cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
More Easy Desserts
Chocolate Meringue Cookies are easy-to-make, melt-in-your-mouth treats with BIG chocolate flavor! Just a few ingredients are needed to make these fun, delicious cookies!
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. DO NOT GREASE the pans.
- In a clean and dry mixing bowl, using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with cream of tartar for several minutes until soft peaks form.
- While on high, slowly add in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating until stiff peaks form (about 4-5 minutes). Gently fold in the cocoa powder until combined.
- Using a piping bag with a large star tip (or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped), pipe 1 ½-inch whide cookies onto parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. (see note below)
- Immediately add chocolate chips on top of each cookie.
- Bake for one hour in preheated oven. Do not open the oven while the cookies are baking or they may deflate.
- After one hour, turn off the oven and allow them to sit in oven for 2 hours. Or let them sit in oven overnight.
- After the time is up, remove cookies from oven and lift off parchment paper.
Notes
- To pipe the cookies, hold the piping bag vertical above the parchment paper about ½-inch. Pipe the cookies by gently squeezing the bag while holding in the same spot, until the cookie reaches 1 ½ inches in width. Release pressure on the bag and pull straight upwards to form the star shape.
- Be sure to keep your mixing bowl clean and dry. Any amount of oil or moisture will prevent the meringue from forming.
- No piping bag? No problem. Simply use a spoon and scoop meringue onto baking sheet.
- Store cookies in airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36
Serving Size:
1 cookie
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 24Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 0g
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.
