Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies are a light, sweet treat that will round out your holiday cookie tray.

Y’all, how are we so close to the end of the year? I know it’s such a cliche to remark about the passage of time, but HELLO. Slow down. I can’t handle that my toddler can have full-on conversations with me.

I have way too big of a to-do list for the holidays, just like everyone else. While I managed to take care of the gift situation early, I have this creeping desire to make all the things right now. All the little appetizers and snacks and cookies.

Mini vegetable latkes were just the tippy tip of my kitchen iceberg. I also want to make Camembert Chicken Bites. And Easy Roasted Veggie Dip. And Brussels Sprouts Crostini.

And of course, with all the holiday parties happening, it’s not like I can show up empty handed.

Luckily for everyone, Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies are extremely easy and satisfy that sweet tooth. It might seem like they take a long time, but it’s all just the oven doing its job while you get all the other tasks done.

I know you have cards to address. Or maybe that’s just me.

tips for making peppermint meringue cookies

Meringues are so delicate, they can seem kind of intimidating if you’ve never made them before. I’ve got a couple of tips for you to help take that scare-factor down a notch.

Tip 1: Use an electric hand mixer.

Don’t be a hero and try to whip the egg whites by hand. And though a stand mixer will definitely work, I like a hand mixer for this particular job.

When mixing up Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies, you will need to check where your egg whites are at multiple times during the process.

Using a hand mixer makes it much easier to monitor the consistency of the egg whites as you whip them as compared to using a stand mixer.

Tip 2: Dry the meringue cookies completely.

Now, when making meringues you want to make sure they are completely dry before removing from the oven and storing in an airtight container, otherwise they will stick together.

If you live in a relatively humid area like I do, this is more difficult, but you can leave the meringue cookies in the oven (turned off) as long as needed. You’ll know they’re done when they are no longer sticky and are crisp when eaten.

how to decorate peppermint meringue cookies

Of course you could simply pipe plain peppermint meringue cookies and they would taste delicious, but they wouldn’t be nearly as pretty! And friends might not know what flavor to expect from looking at them.

To get the pretty stripes on your meringues, use gel food coloring and a paintbrush to paint a line down the inside of your pastry bag.

Be sure to not go quite to the top, as you will be leaving some room in the bag to be able to twist the top. The first few meringues will likely come out without color, but color will start to come as the meringue works its way through.

I also dipped these in dark chocolate because I love the combo of peppermint and chocolate (like in my peppermint mocha cupcakes) but feel free to skip that step if you like!

You could also dip the peppermint meringue cookies in milk or white chocolate. You could even dip them in crushed peppermint candies after dipped them in chocolate for an extra peppermint punch.

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies are great for gift-giving too, so grab some cute tins and get going!

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Meringue Cookies are a light, sweet treat that will round out your holiday cookie tray.

Author: Megan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Course: Dessert

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Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar , unsifted
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint or mint extract
• Food coloring , optional
• 4 ounces dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°F and line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and granulated sugar until foamy.
3. Add cream of tartar, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Using a small paintbrush, paint lines inside pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Fill pastry bag with meringue.
5. Pipe meringue onto prepared sheets, forming small kisses.
6. Bake for about 2 hours, then turn oven off, leave door ajar, and let meringues rest for at least 1 hour, until completely dry.
7. When meringues are dry, melt dark chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
8. Carefully dip bottoms of meringues into chocolate and place back onto cooking sheet. Let rest until set. Do not put in the refrigerator.
9. Store in an airtight container.

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