Chocolate Cherry Kool Aid Meringues Recipes

CHOCOLATE DIPPED CHERRY MERINGUE COOKIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Allow egg whites to come to room temperature in a large mixing bowl (about 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 225. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Add cream of tartar and salt to egg whites. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar to egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat on high speed until egg whites are glossy and have become stiff. Beat in cherry juice and enough food coloring until the meringues have the desired color.
• Carefully scoop mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch star tip opening. Pipe meringue about 1 inch apart onto lined baking sheets.
• Bake cookies for 60 minutes or until meringues are dry and firm to the touch. Turn the oven off and let meringues sit in the oven with the door closed for another hour or until completely cooled.
• In a small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and shorting until smooth. Carefully dip bottoms of meringues into chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip down. Place meringues on baking sheet and allow chocolate to set completely.
• Store meringues in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread almonds on a baking sheet, and bake until lightly toasted, about10 minutes. Let cool.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 200° F. Line 2 large baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
• Place the toasted almonds and 1/3 cup of sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add cocoa and cornstarch and pulse just until mixed. Transfer cocoa almond mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in chopped dried cherries and Chocolate Chips until just combined.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low speed just until frothy. Add cream of tartar, and increase the mixer speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until the whites form firm but still moist peaks. Add vanilla extract, and beat just until blended.
• Gently fold the cocoa mixture into the beaten whites in 2 additions, just until blended.
• Using two spoons, drop the batter by heaping teaspoon fulls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1-inch apart.
• Bake, using both oven racks, for 1 ½ hours at 200° F, alternate the position of the pans and rotate back to front halfway through baking time. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool in the oven for 1 hour, then peel them off the Silpat or parchment paper.