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Jump to RecipeThere’s no lack of appropriate occasions to serve these minty white-chocolate meringue cookies. Light as air, these cookies have a crisp outer shell and are marshmallowy-soft on the inside. The pastel green color is a tribute to Spring and fresh new beginnings. They are perfect for sweetening up St. Patrick’s Day. They also will look beautiful on a cookie platter for Passover or Easter celebrations.
This recipe calls for 2 egg whites. Save the yolks for another recipe. (If I may be so bold, check out my Key Lime Pie or Hollandaise Sauce, which require just yolks, not the whites! Or you can scramble the unused yolks with one “whole” egg for breakfast.) There are two important notes regarding the egg whites. First, they must be yolk-free. Even a speck of yolk will screw things up. To eliminate any issues, I still used a technique learned in 8th grade home economics class. Separate eggs one by one into a small bowl, and then add the egg whites individually into the mixing bowl. That way, if there is an issue, you just lose one egg, not both. Cold eggs are easier to separate than room-temperature eggs. The yolks are less likely to break if you separate them immediately after removing them from the fridge. This brings me to my second note. Although it’s easier to separate cold eggs, the whites need to be brought up to room temperature (20-30 minutes – the longer, the better) before mixing to ensure a better, airier meringue.
I’ve used both a hand-held electric mixer and a stand mixer for meringue cookies, and there is no difference in the finished product. If you have a choice, I recommend using your stand mixer to save time. While a hand mixer works great, it takes about twice as long to get stiff peak consistency. It’s not that big of a deal either way. The whisk attachment works the best for meringues as it incorporates more air, but it’s not necessary.
As these cookies are to commemorate springtime, I opted for green food coloring with mint extract. I like a pale, pastel green. However, if you’re making them for St Paddy’s day and want a deeper shade, just add a few more drops of coloring. If you don’t have food coloring or prefer not to use it, meringue is a beautiful, glossy white color, all on it’s own. If you don’t have mint extract, any flavor (vanilla, almond, peppermint, lemon, or orange) will work. The white chocolate chips are the “surprise” in these meringues. The white chocolate matches the light, spring-like feel of the cookies. If you prefer semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips – go for it! You can’t go wrong with a meringue cookie!
key lime pie), measure the sugar and white chips and set out flavoring, cream of tartar and salt.
Minty Meringue Surprises
Course: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
cookies15
minutes25
minutes60
These minty cloud-like meringue cookies are with a crispy outside and marshmallowy-soft center. The white chocolate chips are the surprise! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter or any spring celebration.
Ingredients
• 2 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon mint extract
• ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
3-10 drops green food coloring – depending on desired shade
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275℉. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat
- Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks. Add 5-10 drops of green food coloring (depending on desired shade of green). Fold in mint extract and chocolate chips.
- Using a rounded spoon or cookie scoop, drop by spoonful on a baking pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. (Cookies will not spread while baking.) Bake at 275℉ for 25 – 30 minutes. Makes about 24 cookies
- Turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for 30 minutes more. Let the meringues finish cooling on a cooling rack for about 1 hour.
Notes
- Save the egg yolks! They can be used for Key Lime Pie, Hollandaise Sauce or scrambled eggs.
- Either an electric hand-held mixer or stand mixer can be used to make the meringue. A hand-held mixer will take a little longer and it’s harder to add the sugar. Use the whisk beater.
- I used Pure Mint extract as the flavor. Peppermint extract is also good. If you prefer, you can skip the mint and go with vanilla extract.
- Green food coloring makes a pretty pastel shade for spring. Pink, is a good choice if you are using peppermint. Food coloring is optional. The meringues are a glossy white without color.
- White chocolate chips look and taste great with the pastel green and minty flavor, however, any flavor (semi-sweet, milk chocolate or dark chocolate) will be equally good.
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