Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Sweet, crisp, and light as a cloud, these classic meringue cookies are easy to make and look beautiful on a holiday cookie platter.

In its simplest form, a meringue is a dessert that is made by baking a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar until crisp but not brown.

The result is light as air, crisp, and sweet. Meringues are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free unless an additional ingredient is added to a specific recipe and changes that.

The following recipe uses the traditional preparation, which incorporates a small amount of cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites. It also adds chocolate chips, which provide a welcome element of texture and a bitter-sweet contrast to the pronounced sweetness of the meringue.

When my boys were little, this was a favorite recipe because it was also a captivating science project. Watching two egg whites morph from less than a half cup of clear liquid to a bowlful of billowy white clouds is a sight to behold. I still marvel at the process.

Sweet, crisp, and light as a cloud, these classic meringue cookies are easy to make and look beautiful on a holiday cookie platter

Tips for meringue success:

Because they are more viscous (thicker) and more acidic, fresher eggs will produce a more stable meringue. Interestingly, older eggs will produce more volume because they’re less viscous and less acidic, but the meringues won’t hold up as well.
Colder egg whites are easier to separate, but room temperature eggs whites will produce more volume because air will whip into them more easily. For this reason, I like to separate refrigerated eggs about 20 minutes before starting the recipe and then let them sit at room temperature until ready to bake.
For best meringues, the egg whites should contain no traces of the yolk. For this reason, separating the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl and then transfer to the mixing bowl offers a bit of an insurance policy.
Be sure the mixing bowl and beaters are clean with no traces of oil, as fat hinders the development of the egg whites.
Where the mixing bowl is concerned, glass and stainless steel are best. Avoid plastic, if possible, because it often harbors traces of fat. Note: While copper is excellent for whipping egg whites, it will react with acidic stabilizers when used and can discolor the meringue.
Be sure your mixing bowl is large enough to accommodate the expanding egg whites.
A pinch of salt is a helpful addition because it reduces the viscosity or thickness of the mixture, which allows for greater volume.
While superfine sugar will dissolve more quickly and is said to create a better meringue, I have always used regular granulated sugar in this recipe with excellent results. If using superfine sugar, you may wish to use a tablespoon less as its finer crystals result in more sugar by volume.
Freshly whipped meringues are fragile, so it’s best to bake the meringues immediately after whipping.
Over-whipped meringues will appear dry, grainy, and clumpy. Sadly, they cannot be salvaged. Essentially, the foam bubbles become too big, lose their structure, and will pop and deflate when baked.

You’ll know the egg whites have reached the stiff peak stage when you lift the whisk and the peaks don’t droop over.

Gently folding in the chocolate chips prevents the whipped mixture from deflating too much. I like to use dark chocolate, which balances the sweetness of the meringue. Classic semi-sweet morsels work well, too.

How do you “fold” one ingredient into another?

In this process, a light, airy mixture is combined with a thicker, heavier mixture. Start in the center of the bowl, and using a large flexible spoon or spatula, cut down through the mixture. In one motion, continue to scrape across the bottom of the bowl, up the side closest to you, and back over into the center. Continue this motion, rotating the bowl slightly with each stroke. The down-across-up-and-over motion gently combines the ingredients while preserving the light, fluffy consistency.

In most cases, the goal is a homogeneous mixture without streaks or separation. In the case of adding chocolate chips to the meringue, the aim is an even distribution.

I use two spoons to form the meringues, which look like little clouds. My mom pointed out that it’s much easier to use a spoon and your finger. 😊

Because the meringues are very sweet and a touch crumbly, I aim for a cookie that can be eaten in about two bites.

At this point, you may lightly press a few chocolate chips into the meringues before baking. There will usually be a few that look a little short on the chips. You may also like the appearance of visible chips on the exterior of the cookies. In this case, lightly dot several on top of each cookie.