Chocolate-Dipped Meringue Sandwich Cookies

These light, airy morsels are twice as nice with two meringue cookies and velvety ganache in between.

Chocolate-Dipped Meringue Sandwich Cookies

Average Rating: 5

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 1 hour + chilling Bake: 40 min./batch + standing
YIELD: 7 dozen.

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • Optional: Colored coarse sugar and crushed peppermint candies

Instructions

  • 1. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
  • 2. Preheat oven to 225آ°. In a small bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour until blended. Beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in confectioners' sugar mixture.
  • 3. Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a #805 round pastry tip. Pipe 1-in.-diameter cookies 1 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a finger moistened with water, smooth tops of cookies.
  • 4. Bake 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn oven off (do not open oven door); leave cookies in oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheets.
  • 5. Place semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, combine cream and corn syrup; bring just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Remove 1 cup ganache to another bowl; refrigerate 25-30 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to pipe, stirring occasionally. Reserve remaining ganache for dipping; let stand, covered, at room temperature, stirring occasionally.
  • 6. Transfer chilled ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a #802 round pastry tip.Pipe onto bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. (Ganache may soften as it warms. If necessary, return ganache to refrigerator until firm enough to pipe.)
  • 7. Place toppings in separate shallow bowls. Dip each sandwich cookie halfway in room temperature ganache; allow excess to drip off. (If necessary, warm ganache in microwave for 10 seconds to thin slightly.) If desired, dip ganache in coarse sugar or crushed peppermint candies; place on waxed paper and let stand until set. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

1 sandwich cookie: 47 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 4mg cholesterol, 4mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.