Pecan Meringue Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle
How to make meringue cookies without cream of tartar, using just egg whites and sugar—with crunchy pecans & chewy prunes folded in! A light, crisp, sweet, and impressive holiday dessert, made even more delicious with some chocolate drizzle.
Equipment
- large round piping tip
Ingredients
Meringue Cookies
- 3 large egg whites from fresh eggs
- ¾ cup superfine sugar a.k.a. caster sugar or baker's sugar
Optional Mix-Ins
- ¼ cup roasted pecans finely diced
- ¼ cup prunes finely diced
Optional Chocolate Coating
- ⅓ cup milk or dark chocolate (or chocolate candy melts)
Instructions
Toasted Nuts (Optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add pecans to a baking sheet and toast for 7-10 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (If you don’t plan to use pecans, skip this step.)
Easy Meringue Cookies
- Turn oven temperature down to 250°F (120°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a stand mixer (or by hand), whisk egg whites on medium-high speed (level 6 of 10). Slowly add superfine sugar a spoonful at a time, continuing to whisk until the mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks (around 6-10 minutes).
- Remove whisk and gently fold in diced prunes and pecans.
- Transfer mixture into a piping bag with a large round piping tip.
- Pipe meringues onto prepared baking sheet, making them 3 inches or so in base diameter.
- Bake 2 to 2½ hours, until meringues are creamy in color and can be lifted from the parchment without sticking. Then turn off oven, open the oven door, and let meringues sit until they cool completely (1-2 hours).
- Yields 8-10 meringues (with 3-inch base diameter).
Chocolate Coating (Optional)
- If desired, melt chocolate of choice for chocolate drizzled or chocolate dipped meringues. Either temper chocolate in a double boiler, or melt chocolate candy melts in a microwave.
- Use a fork to drizzle melted chocolate on top of cooled meringues, or hold each cookie by the tip and dip the bottom in chocolate.
- Allow chocolate to set before enjoying or storing.
Storage
- As soon as meringues have cooled completely or chocolate has set, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Keep them in a cool, dark area like a pantry. If you need to stack the cookies inside the container, separate layers with parchment.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Notes:
Nutrition for 1 classic meringue cookie, with no mix-ins or chocolate coating: 59 calories | 0g fat | 14.5g carbs | 0g fiber | 14.5g sugar | 1g protein16mg sodium | 0mg cholesterol Nutrition for 1 prune & pecan meringue cookie (no chocolate coating): 88 calories | 2g fat | 17.3g carbs | 0.6g fiber | 16g sugar | 1.4g protein
16mg sodium | 0mg cholesterol Below nutrition is per 1 chocolate-drizzled pecan meringue cookie.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chocolate drizzled meringue | Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.3g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 4.2g | Sodium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 20.5g