Snowy white meringues that are crisp on the outside, chewy in the centre with chunks of dark chocolate. These meringues really are the best.
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (330g or 11.6oz) caster sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125g (4oz) dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
Method
Preheat the oven to 100 C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Break the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl, sprinkle over salt and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and then gently pour in the sugar, a little at a time while continuing to beat. Keep beating until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 10 minutes of beating time in total (don’t go over this time as you can over mix. meringue). Lastly mix in the vanilla and vinegar.
Using a metal spoon gently fold through the chocolate so it swirls into the meringue, once again don’t over mix this just have pockets of chocolate.
Spoon meringue onto the lined trays ensuring they are not touching but they can be close together.
Bake for 1 hour before reducing the oven temperature to 70 C and cooking for a further 40 minutes. The meringues should feel crisp and firm underneath but still with some weight, you don’t want them dried out completely as this will mean they are not chewy.
Turn the oven off and place a wooden spoon the door to wedge it open. Leave the meringues until the oven is cold.
Store meringues in an airtight container.
TIPS
* Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before you start.
* Ensure both the bowl and beater are as clean as can be. For that reason it is best to avoid plastic bowls as fat particles can cling to them which could cause your meringues to collapse.
*If you think your oven may cook on the hotter side then lower the temperature, if the oven is too hot then the meringues will become golden as opposed to white.
*This recipe has been slightly adjusted from first publish.
