Chocolate Raspberry Meringues

Raspberries and chocolate make such an amazing flavor combination. So much so that I’ve been wanting to make some sort of chocolate raspberry something-or-another for… well, ever. But I really wanted to make something that hasn’t been done to death. I created a mental checklist of all the possible raspberry chocolate desserts, most of which I ticked off with a big, fat “done to death” mark. Cupcakes? Done to death. Cake? Done to death? Cookies? Surprisingly, done to death. Tart? Pie? Truffles? Nope, nope, and nope. It wasn’t until I was nearing the end of my list that I thought of one of my favorite desserts: the meringue. I thought, surely, chocolate raspberry meringues had been done to death as well, but as I googled my way through the internet, I was surprised there weren’t more chocolate raspberry meringues, and I wasn’t seeing any the way I imagined (raspberry swirled meringues dipped in dark chocolate). So here you go interwebs, more chocolate raspberry deliciousness, but this time, as a meringue!

Chocolate Raspberry Meringues
Makes about 20 meringues

For the raspberry meringues:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 tsp. raspberry jam

For the chocolate:
1 bar (3 1/2 oz or 100 grams) dark chocolate
Vegetable oil

Although this dessert is ridiculously easy, I feel that I should warn you from the start that it does take 3-5 hours of baking (don’t you just hate it when you don’t read all the way through a recipe and then you find out half way into that it takes more time to make/bake than you have time for?). To make the meringues, whisk your egg whites and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer on high until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and continue whisking until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Using a spatula, fold in the jam until you have a nice swirl of raspberry. Fill a piping bag with a large round tip with your meringues, and pipe them out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake the meringues for 3-5 hours at 200*F (95*C) or until the meringues can easily be peeled away from the parchment paper.

In a small bowl, melt your dark chocolate using 10 second increments in the microwave until it’s lump free. Thin the chocolate using about a 1/2 tsp. of vegetable oil, or just enough so that only a thin thread of chocolate drips between your spoon and the bowl (remember, meringues are delicate so you don’t want a thick chocolate that could run the risk of breaking the meringues). Gently dip the bottoms of the meringues into the chocolate, and set aside on parchment paper to dry. Serve immediately or store your meringues in an air tight container for up to 3 days.