Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
*Recipe below—bake along!* And they're GIANT! These fluffy dollops of swirled chocolate meringue are just like the ones you see in pastry shop windows. Not only do they add visual appeal to a display, they are also delicious to eat. What sets confectionery meringues apart from the ones used in other desserts is the amount of sugar. These ones are sweeter, and the additional sugar helps the outside of the meringue set up crisp yet tender, yielding to a slightly chewy, soft centre.
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*• Recipe •*
Makes 6 giant meringues
Prep Time: Under 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
The meringues will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
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*• Ingredients •*
5 large egg whites
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
Pinch of fine salt
2 Tbsp (15 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
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*• Directions •*
1. *Preheat the oven* to 225°F (107°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. *Heat the egg whites and sugar.* Whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt together in a metal bowl placed over a pot filled with an inch (2.5 cm) of gently simmering water. Warm the eggs to no more than 98°F (37°C), which helps the sugar to dissolve better as you whip the meringue.
NOTE: This step is the key to avoiding a meringue with cracks and visible sugar granules. Warming the egg whites with the sugar fully dissolves the sugar, which gives the meringue its structure.
3. *Whip the egg whites.* Transfer the warmed egg whites and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or use electric beaters to whip the whites to a stiff peak on high speed. Sift the cocoa powder overtop and fold it into the meringue, but only partly—you want to see streaks and ribbons of the cocoa powder and not have it fully mixed in.
NOTE: Because these crisp meringues have a high sugar-to-egg ratio (sugar is double the weight of the eggs) it takes longer for the whites to reach a stiff peak and you really can’t overwhip them. Sugar stabilizes a meringue, so resist any temptation to reduce the sugar in the recipe—any less sugar and the meringues may collapse or crumble.
4. *Portion and bake.* Use two large kitchen spoons to make six big dollops of meringue on the baking tray. Bake the meringues for 2 hours, until they lift easily away from the parchment paper. Cool the meringues on the tray on a rack.
*Recipe below—bake along!* And they're GIANT! These fluffy dollops of swirled chocolate meringue are just like the ones you see in pastry shop windows. Not only do they add visual appeal to a display, they are also delicious to eat. What sets confectionery meringues apart from the ones used in other desserts is the amount of sugar. These ones are sweeter, and the additional sugar helps the outside of the meringue set up crisp yet tender, yielding to a slightly chewy, soft centre.
--------
*• Recipe •*
Makes 6 giant meringues
Prep Time: Under 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
The meringues will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
--------
*• Ingredients •*
5 large egg whites
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
Pinch of fine salt
2 Tbsp (15 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
--------
*• Directions •*
1. *Preheat the oven* to 225°F (107°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. *Heat the egg whites and sugar.* Whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt together in a metal bowl placed over a pot filled with an inch (2.5 cm) of gently simmering water. Warm the eggs to no more than 98°F (37°C), which helps the sugar to dissolve better as you whip the meringue.
NOTE: This step is the key to avoiding a meringue with cracks and visible sugar granules. Warming the egg whites with the sugar fully dissolves the sugar, which gives the meringue its structure.
3. *Whip the egg whites.* Transfer the warmed egg whites and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or use electric beaters to whip the whites to a stiff peak on high speed. Sift the cocoa powder overtop and fold it into the meringue, but only partly—you want to see streaks and ribbons of the cocoa powder and not have it fully mixed in.
NOTE: Because these crisp meringues have a high sugar-to-egg ratio (sugar is double the weight of the eggs) it takes longer for the whites to reach a stiff peak and you really can’t overwhip them. Sugar stabilizes a meringue, so resist any temptation to reduce the sugar in the recipe—any less sugar and the meringues may collapse or crumble.
4. *Portion and bake.* Use two large kitchen spoons to make six big dollops of meringue on the baking tray. Bake the meringues for 2 hours, until they lift easily away from the parchment paper. Cool the meringues on the tray on a rack.
