Brown Sugar Chocolate-Hazelnut Meringues
Gluten and Dairy-Free
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, Neighbors! Today’s recipe, normally exclusively for paid subscribers, is my gift to all of you.
These meringues are a very easy + crispy and chewy treat, and you might even have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. Thank you sincerely for being here with me and believing that community care matters. I hope over the next few weeks you share these meringues with your in-real-life communities.
If you’ve been loving the online neighborhood we are creating here but aren’t a paid subscriber yet, give this recipe a taste test! An inexpensive subscription means you get something this yummy every month.
Brown Sugar Chocolate-Hazelnut Meringues
(Notes from a Neighbor Original)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Bake Time: 60 mins + 60 mins in oven cooling
Servings: 16-24 meringues
Ingredients
(be sure to see Notes section for helpful tips)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons finely chopped roasted, salted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about two minutes. Add cream of tartar; continue beating until the egg whites hold soft peaks, about three minutes.
Increase mixer speed to medium-high. Beat in sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until meringue holds very stiff peaks, about five to seven minutes. Beat in vanilla. Meringue should be smooth, with no sugar grit.
Gently fold in hazelnuts and chocolate chips with a spatula.
Spoon dollops of meringue on parchment-lined baking sheets. (Smaller dollops if you’d like to have more meringues.)
Place one baking sheet on each oven rack, bake for 30 minutes. Rotate sheets, bake for 30 more minutes. Turn the oven off and leave meringues to cool in the oven for 60 minutes.
Notes
You can do this recipe with an electric hand mixer, but it’s easier with a stand mixer.
Meringue works best if there is no moisture or oil in your mixing bowl or on the beaters. Make sure they are completely clean and dry.
Carefully crack and separate your eggs so that no yolk gets into the whites, or your meringue may not work out.
You can tell if the sugar is completely dissolved into the egg whites by taking a little and rubbing it between your fingers. You shouldn’t be able to feel the sugar granules.
If you’d like to make these a little fancier, you can use a piping bag to pipe them onto your baking sheets, but in that case, just sprinkle the tops with the hazelnuts and chocolate chips rather than fold it into the meringue. Otherwise, it will clog your piping tip.
Speaking of hazelnuts and chocolate chips, I like these extra “mix-ins,” but if you don’t have them on hand, these meringues are still super yummy!
What is your favorite holiday dessert? I’d love to know, because I’m always looking for more recipe inspo!
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