Alright, I’ve realized that this blog has been woefully low on dessert recipes during our healthy eating month. But fear not! I’m about to fix that next week. But in the meantime, I thought I would circle back and share my favorite Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies with you. I made a batch for my book club this month, and since each of these little guys rings in at just 35 calories, I thought I’d re-shoot and share them with you!
Now before you go telling me that you “don’t make meringue”, let me assure you that this recipe is super easy! It was one of the very first cookie recipes of my mom’s that I learned how to make way back in college, and I’ve made them dozens of time since. So if I could do it even before I knew anything about “stiff peaks”, you can definitely do it too.
All you need is a good mixer, 6 simple ingredients, and you’re good to go. These meringue cookies do take a little while to bake in the oven, but the prep is simple. And once they’re done, these chocolate chip meringue cookies are the epitome of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. They’re light and crispy on the outside, and perfectly melty and full of surprise chocolate chips and chewy-ness galore on the inside. And did I mention they’re only 35 calories each?!?
Yep. I think it’s settled. You need to try these.
Alright, before we get rolling, I thought I would include the “before” photo for this recipe for ol’ time’s sake. Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies circa 2009. I still remember taking this photo…
But a few hundred recipes and years spent with my camera afterwards, here’s the “after” photo. The cookies still taste the same! But there are a few tiny differences:
More Chocolate Chips: Just about any chocolate chip cookies look better with a few extra chocolate chips sprinkled on top before baking, and these meringues are no exception. The chocolate chips usually get hidden inside as “buried treasure” while baking, which is all well and good. But if you want them to be a little cuter on the outside, sprinkle a few extra chips on before baking.
Cracking: If you look closely, you might also notice that I didn’t quite understand how to prevent meringues from cracking last time I photographed them. But now I know. Quite simply, you need to:
- cook low and slow
- let the cookies cool in the oven
Meringue is kind of like cheesecake. If you flood the hot oven with cool air once the baking time is over, they cookies will crack. If you let the air cool off gradually, they won’t. And the key is always to cook them low and slow. Patience, young grasshopper.
Even if they crack, though, they still taste like heaven. :)
Piping: Also, if you want to get fancy, you can pipe the meringue batter into nice perfectly swirled cookies. But I grew up just plopping a dollop of batter on a cookie sheet, and kind of like how casual they look that way. Go with whatever floats your boat.
The other key to making these is to use mini semisweet chocolate chips. Regular-sized chocolate chips are a little too heavy and large. The baby ones, though, are perfect for topping the meringues and hiding away inside for that heavenly chocolate-y surprise when you bite into a cookie.
To make the cookies, simply whip up the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Then gradually add in the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. If you stick a spoon in the batter and lift directly up, the batter should follow and form a “peak” and stay put (not fall over). That’s when you know that it’s ready to go.
It’s amazing how much meringue batter fluffs up! Gotta love those egg whites.
Once the batter is ready, gently fold in your chocolate chips by hand until they are just combined. Resist the temptation to overmix!
Once the batter is ready, drop it by tablespoon-fulls onto a prepared baking sheet, at least 1-inch apart. (This will require at least 2 baking sheets, depending on the size you have.)
Then if you want to get all food style-y, sprinkle just a few extra chocolate chips on top.
Bake them low and slow until they form that crispy light crust we all love. Once that happens, just turn the oven off and let the cookies cool for about a half hour inside of the oven. Then pop it open, and enjoy!
Look how cute they are! And of course, the best part is the “surprise” inside — all of those tasty chocolate chips!
If your friends are like mine, they will adore these cookies once they give them a try. And then they will happily go back for seconds (and maybe thirds) once they learn that they are only 35 calories each. ;)
They will definitely always be a favorite of mine! Hope you enjoy them as well!
35-Calorie Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites, room temperature (very important!)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.* Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold in chocolate chips by hand until combined.
- Drop batter by heaping tablespoon-fulls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cookies are cooked and slightly golden. Turn the oven off, and let the cookies cool in the oven for an additional 20-30 minutes until cool. Remove and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
*Nutrition facts estimated using My Fitness Pal. Facts may vary based on the exact size of your cookies.
Made them just now. They’re delicious, however I was wondering. Is it normal for the cookies to feel sticky on the outside?? I mean the inside are gorgeous but the outside was…not so good. I reduce the amount of sugar to one cup but it is too sweet for my liking.
i made these and they turned out very well. i was just wondering if it was normal for my eggwhites to come to more of a thick , dull foam, rather than glossy soft peaks in the first step
Hi, I’ve tried making this but at a stage when i pour in the choc chips, the batter seems to change colour to brown instead of white. How is that so? Pls advise.
This sounds ridiculous, but a fantastic substitute for the chocolate chips? Cornflakes. They just end up spectacularly gooey on the inside, with an almost honey taste to them – plus it adds a really good texture. Warning, they pretty much cave in on the first bite, and once you eat one, it is impossible to stop ;)
Thanks for this recipe. Had some egg whites I didn’t know what I would do with…they are in the oven…hope they turn out as good as yours!!
Yikes! This has never happened before, but the egg whites went from soft peaks to sauce. Suggestions? Causes? I’m using my Cuisanart if that maters.The machine is warm to the touch, but I thought in whipping cream was the only time the temperature mattered.
Cacilia
You have inspired me to try making meringue *gulp*. I am super intimidated by all the egg-arts (LOL)….custards, meringues, etc. I will pick up the ingredients for this tomorrow and attempt it after work. I’ll keep you posted. BTW, found your blog through TastyKitchen.com! Great stuff!
Hi Bonnie! Unfortunately, I don’t think Splenda would work on these ones. To my knowledge, it’s the properties in actual sugar that help to solidify the egg whites into meringue. Just doublechecked online too, and the few people that have tried it said the cookies never set up. Ah…the science of baking. :S
And thanks, Megan! Look forward to hearing how your galette turns out! (And for that one — you probably COULD sub in Spenda or another sugar substitute to make it a touch healthier. :-))
After 3 attempts, we discovered the ‘secret’ in making them set-up; DO NOT add sugar until you whip the crap outta the eggwhite/salt/tartar mixture. It has to get to the ‘soft peak’ point before you add sugar or it will NEVER stiffen up after words. Frustrating, yet delightfully rewarding after figuring it out ;-)
Wow, I love your recipes! I can’t wait to make one. I think I am going to try out your rustic fruit gelate first. I am always looking for good, relatively “healthy” recipes. So glad you started this blog! Keep it up. :) Oh, and your photos are great, good work.
pardon my ignorance, but is meringue at all possible using Splenda?