Chocolate Almond Meringues

I mentioned the other day that the fiance and I enjoyed some amazing meringues from Dessertdragen last week. Well, when I'm really into something, I'm really into something. So, I did some reading on meringues, compared a few recipes (most of the recipes out there are very similar), and whipped up a batch.

I make meringues every once in awhile. Sometimes I flavor them with freeze dried raspberry powder, or with lemon zest. And I usually pipe them out so they are just little bite sized meringues. But this time I wanted to do something bigger, a little fluffier, and a little more messy looking like the meringues we got from Dessertdragen. I have used quite a few of Joy the Baker's meringue recipes so I looked to her again and I found another great recipe from Cupcakes and Couscous. I used a bit of both recipes and got these wonderful chocolate and almond meringues! I like meringues that are crisp on the outside, but soft, marshmallowy and chewy on the inside. And these my friends, are exactly that!

Chocolate Almond Meringues (adapted from Joy the Baker and Cupcakes and Couscous)
Makes 12 large meringues

3 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
50g almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder

To start, preheat your oven to 120C or 248F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a clean and dry bowl, beat egg whites with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until it turns foamy. Add a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Increase the speed on your mixer to medium high and beat until you get soft peaks.

Gradually add the sugar and increase your mixer speed to high. Add the vanilla extract now as well and beat for about 3 minutes on high speed, or until stiff and glossy peaks form. (The meringue should be spoonable but keep their shape when dolloped onto the baking tray.)

Add the chopped chocolate and almonds to the meringue and gently fold them in with a spatula. Finally, sift the cocoa powder over the meringue mixture and lightly fold it in. If you want some chocolate streaks, don't fold the cocoa powder in completely.

Drop large spoonfuls of the meringue onto your prepared baking sheet. Place in the middle of the oven and bake the meringues for 1 hour, or until firm. Remove from the oven to cool when they are ready and enjoy!

We ate our meringues tonight with some whipped cream and berry sauce just like a pavlova! Delicious!