Sweeten Your Day With Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Spangled Meringue Kisses

February is the month of Valentine’s Day, and with it, all things chocolate. It is also the month after the biggest diet month of the year. Making it either a temptation that lures people away from their new regimes, or a relief for those who 31 days is long enough to go without sweets.  Either way, it is the month to get back to baking.

I stopped baking sweets for a few weeks as I started making my own sourdough starter and that both occupied my baking time and pre-occupied all my attentions. But as my starter finally became active enough to bake a few good loaves and Valentine’s Day came near, I started looking through my cookbooks for a sweet treat that was simple and special. Rose’s Baking Basics by Rose Levy Beranbaum fit the bill.  

Rose is known for her attention to detail and precision, and this book is her first with step-by-step photos which is as close to having her in the kitchen baking with you as you can get. As much as I like all of her other books, this one is her most useable and versatile. Not just because of the instructional photos, but because she takes America’s favorite recipes—many filled with nostalgia—and makes them better. These are her 100 essential baking recipes, and the treats that home cooks want to make most often. The recipes include cookies, cakes, pies and tarts and bread; it’s a collection of Rose’s greatest hits. Even better, the recipes are easy enough to be made by the beginner and interesting enough for the advanced baker.

As I was leafing through the book, her “Chocolate Spangled Meringue Kisses” caught my eye.  When I was growing up, my best friend’s mother would make chocolate chip meringues and call them “forgotten cookies” because she would leave them in the oven to “cure” overnight. I loved the sweet crunchy meringue filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but when I made them as an adult, the memory was way better than the cookie.  

I wanted to see if Rose could make them better. And, no surprise, she did. By processing unsweetened chocolate with the powdered sugar, you get a nice hint of whispy chocolate without the heavy chocolate chips disturbing the crisp delicate meringue. It’s a perfect balance and they look like white kisses—ideal for the month of love.

Chocolate Spangled Meringue Kisses—adapted from Rose’s Baking Basics by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The addition of fine-ground unsweetened chocolate tempers the sweetness of the meringue without changing the texture. These meringues are deliciously crisp, light and airy with a slight chewiness. If you prefer meringues that are entirely crisp, allow them to sit in the turned off oven for an hour.

Makes: About 3 dozen 

2          large egg whites

¼         teaspoon cream of tartar

¼         cup plus ½ tablespoon superfine sugar, divided

½         cup powdered sugar

1          ounce unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, cut into pieces

Special Equipment: Two cookie sheets, lined with parchment or Silpat; A disposable piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch diameter star pastry tube or 2 teaspoons

Preheat the Oven to 200˚F/90˚C.

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Set-up for Ingredients (Mise en Place)

30 minutes to 1 hour ahead, into the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh or measure the egg whites. Add the cream of tartar and cover.

In a food processor, process the powdered sugar with the chocolate until the chocolate is in very fine particles. Cover and refrigerate it.

Make the Meringue 

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Gradually add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Raise the speed to medium high and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining sugar. Raise the speed to high and beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. 

Remove the whisk attachment and use it to fold in the chilled powdered sugar-chocolate mixture. You will need to shake it against the sides of the bowl several times as you fold the mixture, just until evenly incorporated. 

Smudge a dot of the meringue onto each corners of the underside of the parchment to stick it onto the baking sheet so that it doesn’t lift off when shaping the meringues.

Spoon about half of the meringue into the pastry bag and pipe 1-3/4 inch mounds onto each of the prepared cookie sheets. Alternatively, use a spoon to create the meringues.

Allow the meringues to dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking or until set. When touched lightly with your finger the meringue barely sticks to it.

Note: To prevent cracking, do not use convection and do not open the oven door until after 45 minutes of baking.  Bake for 45 minutes. Rotate the cookies sheets from front to back and top to bottom and continue baking for another 35 minutes. The meringues should be completely crisp but not beginning to brown.  If longer baking is required, continue baking for about 10 more minutes. To make meringues that are entirely crisp leave them in the turned off oven for an hour.

Set the cookie sheets on wire racks. Use a small pancake turner or small metal spatula to lift the meringues onto another wire rack to cool. 

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a month.