Individual Hot Chocolate Meringue Kisses

This was the original recipe I used and it was delicious. But it was a little difficult to serve, so I made a few changes. Meanwhile, I  also made a few additions.

• 6 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1  1/4 cups sugar (blend in blender if you don’t have superfine as this always works best for meringues, to keep them from being grainy)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper  (after the first time you make this you might decide you like a little more kick, but use 1/8 the first time–it won’t feel like a lot, but the heat develops a little as it cooks)
• 6 cups whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• parchment paper
• raspberries
• white chocolate baking square

Heat oven to 200 degrees F.  Put parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets and draw 6 circles per sheet using coffee mugs or small ramekins.  Spray lightly with cooking spray and set these aside.  I’m sorry this is the best image I got of this, but I hope you can see the size.  This is a regular size cookie sheet. If you want to make them a little smaller, you could fit 2 more on a sheet, just make sure you make an even number, for obvious reasons.  🙂

Separate the egg whites, being sure not to get any yellow in them –in case you don’t know, this will decrease their volume.  I always break one at a time into a bowl, put the yellow into a bowl, the white into a bowl, and then break the next one into a bowl.  That way, if I mess up, I only ruin one egg.  Yes, I use 3 bowls!  I don’t remember where I learned this, but it has always worked well for me.  You can use your yellows to make scrambled eggs for dinner (or other things).

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar just until it’s foamy and then slowly add the sugar.  When I blended the sugar to superfine it, I tried adding the cocoa and cayenne pepper, just to see if that would work, and added them all together, and guess what?  It worked just fine.  So, if you want to skip a step and do that, go ahead.  Just don’t open your blender and breath it in.   Let the sugar/pepper/cocoa dust settle first.  Seriously.  Beat the egg whites with the sugar, cocoa, cayenne mixture until stiff peaks form.

Next, spoon the meringue into the circles on the parchment paper.  Be sure you don’t allow them to touch, and be sure that at least half of them are not TOO peaked.  Bake them in the 200 degree oven for 3 hours. After 3 hours, turn the oven off but leave the meringues in the oven for another hour.

Remove the meringues and allow to cool.  I only decided to make 2, so I needed 4 of the pieces.  I think if you were in a hurry, you could even use canned whipped cream in a pinch for this next step.

In the meantime, you should have cleaned up your mixer (or rested your arm if you are doing all of this by hand!).  For 2 “cakes” use 2/3 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and whip it until the cream makes stiff peaks.

Put a generous slather of whipped cream on top of the least peaked piece, and then place the other on top of that and “ice” it with more whipped cream, as you can see in the photo.  You can use the whipped cream to “glue” them together so that they stay.   You will have to use plenty.

We found some very nice raspberries, which are classic with chocolate, and put a few on top and then grated sweet white baking chocolate on top for a little extra, plus “presentation”.    I have to say, it was SO GOOD!  It tasted a little like a malted milk ball with a little hot kick.    Believe me, this will be made over and over.  The best thing is, you can make these ahead of time, whip up the whipped cream and assemble them at a moments notice.  If you are taking these somewhere, I think it’s best to bring the parts and assemble this there.