Meringue Kisses

Meringue cookies take time to prepare and bake, but the work itself is simple. I made these meringues with my 6-year-old, as the recipe came from Susie Fishbein's Kosher by Design: Kids in the Kitchen cookbook. When the cookies came out of the oven, I was surprised to find the best-tasting meringues I've ever eaten.

clock
Prep Time: 20 m
cook time
Cook Time: 2 h
yield
Yield: 20-24 cookies
course
Course: Dessert
occasion
Occasion: Shabbat
Skill
Skill: Easy
ingredients
Ingredients
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • heavy-duty gallon size Ziploc bag
instructions
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Place the egg whites and cornstarch into the bowl of a mixer. Beat the egg whites with the mixer on medium speed for a full 5 minutes.
  4. With the machine running the entire time sprinkle in the confectioner's sugar a little at a time as you beat it at medium high for a full 10-12 minutes. When you lift the beaters, the meringue should hold its shape as a stiff peak off the tip of the beaters. It will be very shiny.
  5. Roll down the top of the Ziploc bag, 2 or 3 rolls. This will make a cuff on the outside of the bag.
  6. Using a silicone spatula, transfer the meringue from the mixing bowl into the bag.
  7. Unroll the cuff and twist the top a few times, to close the bag and force the meringue into the bottom of the bag.
  8. With your scissors, snip a small corner off of the bag. Squeeze 1 1/2 inch circles of meringue onto the cookie sheets. If it is coming out too slowly, snip the hole a little bigger.
  9. Place 3 chocolate chips into the center of each meringue.
  10. Top each cookie with a squeeze of meringue to cover the chocolate chips. If you squeeze slowly and then pull the tip up you will get a pretty top like a chocolate kiss. 
  11. Place into the oven and bake for 2 hours.
  12. When the cookies are done, lift them off the parchment. If they stick at all, return them to the oven for another 30 minutes to finish drying out.

SOURCE: Kosher by Design: Kids in the Kitchen, by Susie Fishbein. Recipe reprinted with permission from Mesorah Publications.