Tuesdays with Dorie – Cocoa Almond Meringues
It’s my pick again! That means the recipe is included in this post. Now that I have your attention, please allow me to shamelessly self-promote for a moment.
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With that out of the way, let’s get to the meringues. I picked this recipe because my mom makes white meringue “kisses” every Christmas and I love them. The consistency, flavor, and relative low-cal nature of the meringue make my mouth want to sing.
Here is my finished product. As you can see, my meringues turned out pretty good. They tasted great. Definitely richer than the sugar-and-egg-whites meringues I’m used to, but the chocolate makes itself known without overwhelming.
My M.O. around here is that the pictures are ugly. I take absolutely no care to come up with a nice presentation. What I lack in aesthetics, I make up for with jackassery.
Cocoa Almond Meringues (Dorie Greenspan)
1 C confectioner’s sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup finely ground almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup very finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or finely chopped store-bought chocolate chipsGETTING READY: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Sift together the confectioners’ sugar, ground almonds, and cocoa.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large dry bowl (make sure the bowl is impeccably clean and dry), whip the egg whites and salt on medium speed until the egg whites are opaque. Increase the speed to medium high and continue to whip as you add the sugar about 1 Tbsp at a time. Then whip until the whites are firm and hold stiff peaks – they should still be very shiny. Beat in the vanilla and remove the bowl from the mixer. With a large rubber spatula, quickly but gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the chopped chocolate. The whites will inevitably deflate as you fold in the dry ingredients – just try to work rapidly and use a light touch, so you deflate them as little as possible.
Drop the meringue by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. Dust the tops of the meringues very lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for 1 hour more. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the meringues to stand in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until they reach room temperature.
Carefully peel the meringues off the parchment of silicone lining.
August 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 am
Thanks for a good pick. Forget everyone else; I loved them and ate more than my share.
August 2nd, 2011 at 3:25 am
Thanks for this pick – these were very good.
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:35 am
Thanks for the great pick. These were tasty!
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:36 am
Jackassery is good!! Your cookies look fine and Im sorry I could not bake with you we just got back from the hot and humid DC area!
August 2nd, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I had never made meringues and I loved these! Light, sweet, chocolaty: perfect. Thanks for the good pick.
August 2nd, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Mike, I am apologizing for not making these this week, because the weather is not treating us so well in southeastern PA. But yours look great, so why was I worried?
I look forward to reading your pizza blog. If there’s a good slice of pizza to be found in PA, I want to know about it, because I have yet to find one down here in the Philly exurbs.
August 2nd, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Mission Accomplished! In your pix these look like something I would find laying in my yard. lol
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 pm
we liked your pick over here. my husband said they were his ideal meringues. i’m off to peruse you other interests now.
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Great pick Mike. I have never made meringues, they are delish. These cookies prove that egg whites can taste good. I never could appreciate Lemon Meringue pie. Just top it with whipped cream!
Have a great week Mike.
p.s. We made a grilled pizza last week, it is my new favorite meal
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Thanks for the Cocoa meringue pick – fast, easy, and delicious. I’m not a fan of the plain white meringues – so i’m pleased to find that these rich chocolate ones are so much more to my taste.
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:14 pm
This was such a great pick, Dude!! Glad to know why you named your blog what you did.
Thanks for this one. Will make often.
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Great pick. I love any post that contains the word jackassery too.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Meringues are some of my favorite cookies. These come really close to my go-to recipe. Nice choice.
August 5th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Your blog is a hoot and I enjoy your no-frills approach. This recipe is a total winner! Thanks.
August 23rd, 2011 at 1:53 am
[...] list down to about 10 before I chose to make this bread instead of something sweet. As it turns out Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude chose Cocoa Almond Meringues for earlier this month. And Nancy of The dogs Eat the Crumbs chose [...]