Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies

Let me reintroduce you to one of the oldest recipes on the blog: these petite Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies. These are crispy on the exterior and melt-in-your-mouth on the interior with just the perfect amount of chocolate to satisfy any cravings you might be plagued with at the moment.

I also love the little hit of citrus you get from the orange zest. The original version of this recipe was maybe the fourth recipe I posted on DisplacedHousewife and damn was I in love with them at the time.

They were delicious as anything but the photos were HELLA ugly. If I’m being perfectly frank.

This past month I’ve been working on speeding up the site and hopefully making it more streamline and better etc etc etc and then I started looking through old recipes…really good recipes…recipes that deserved to see the light of day if only the posts weren’t so hideous.

I had previously resisted updating recipes because I thought it encapsulated such a period of time and it was fun to see the progression of the blog. HOWEVER, when I don’t want to look at a recipe page because the photos are ugly, it’s time to update things a bit.

Over the next year-ish I will be giving older recipes a facelift with new photos, adding in weight measurements and hopefully giving some new tips and info that will make these gems even better than they were before.

If you love meringue-y desserts, check out these: Chocolate Brownie Meringue Cake, Chocolate Pavlova Recipe, Chocolate French Macarons or these Crispy French Meringues!

I’ve learned so so sooo much in the world of making meringues that I’ve updated this recipe so that they are foolproof for you. Some of the updates include:

• I swapped unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate drizzle (love).
• I added in some orange blossom water to amplify the sweet citrus vibes.
• I styled this updated version with chocolate swirls over the tops, just like the Peanut Butter Cup Meringues from The Cookie Book.
• I took new pretty photos — YAY!
• Added in weight measurements.
• Added more tips to the Before We Get Started section.
• Added more detail to the instructions in the recipe.
• Added a recipe card, so this recipe just got easier to print.

If you’re a chocolate-orange lover like I am, you might also like these Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies. 

OK, I hope you love these (and the updates) as much as we do!! Make ’em and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Before We Get Started

• HUMIDITY. Don’t attempt making these if it’s humid out…you’ll never get your meringues to do what you want. 
• GREASE. Make sure everything that touches the eggs whites is free from ANY and ALL oil. This means thoroughly clean and dry all bowls and utensils prior to use.
• MERINGUE. When whisking your whites, I want you to focus on them completely. Using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment makes this process go fast, so I’m gonna need you to pay attention. We start out with a moderate whisk until the whites get nice and foaming and frothing. At that point, we slowly start to pour in the sugar…just a wee bit at a time. You want to do it at such a pace that each addition gets fully blended before adding in the next. To test to see if your meringue is done, take the whisk attachment out of the machine and in a circular motion run it through the meringue, making sure to go all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Pull the whisk straight up and out of the meringue and invert it. If the tip of your meringue is between 11 and 12 o’clock, then it’s ready. If it’s at 10 o’clock or less, you need to run the machine a bit longer. If it’s past 12 o’clock then it’s over whisked and likely has a styrofoam, dry appearance. If this happens, you can whisk an additional egg white into the meringue and hopefully that will smooth your meringue out again. You want your meringue to be:
  • Shiny and smooth;
  • You want the whisk to leave tracks in it’s wake;
  • You want to rub some meringue between your fingers and it should feel smooth and not gritty.
  • I hope these tips help — leave me notes below if you need clarification!
• CITRUS. When zesting your fruit make sure to just zest the orange-colored peel and not the white pith underneath, which can taste bitter. 
• CHOCOLATE. Go for a really delicious chocolate: use anything from semi-sweet to bittersweet chocolate. Whatever your preference, ideally make it a really good quality bar of chocolate rather than chips which can be difficult to melt.
• ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER. I love a little dab of orange blossom water every now and again. But if it’s not in your arsenal and you can’t be bothered to run to the store and purchase some — skip it! They will still be fab.
• SWIRLS. To get the pretty chocolate swirls over the tops of the meringues you’re going to drop some chocolate over the top of each meringue, about 1 teaspoon-ish (you don’t have to be exact). Drop a pinch of orange zest and then using a toothpick, start swirling the chocolate in a circle starting in the center of the meringue and moving to the outer edges. Take care not to push the tip of the toothpick too far beneath the surface of the meringue, keep it towards the top.
• OVEN. The best way to bake meringues is low and slow in the middle of the oven. You don’t want them to take on any color, so if your oven runs hot consider dropping the heat just a touch. I have you bake these a whopping 2 hours so that they get perfectly dried in the oven. You don’t want them to feel sticky to the touch. Don’t skip the final step of letting them cool completely in the oven as this really ensures a nice, crisp meringue.

More Citrus Recipes

Mega Delish Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Fresh Lemon Cake

Perfect French Meringues with Blood Orange Curd

Foolproof Vanilla Orange Madeleines

Chocolate Lemon Tart

Lemony Brussels Sprout Pignoli Pizza

Let’s make some badass Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies, shall we?

Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies

These Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies come together quickly, bake long and slow in the oven and deliver just the right amount of chocolate to satisfy!

4.80 from 5 reviews

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cookies

Keyword: Chocolate, Orange, Meringue, Dessert, Cookie, Baking

Servings: 24 Meringue Cookies

Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (40 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 orange (zested )
• 4 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup (144 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (33 g) confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Cover several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To melt the chocolate, in a medium, heat-safe bowl, add the chocolate and set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water or let the water come to a boil. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Set aside, stirring frequently while it cools.
• Zest one orange, taking care to just get the orange part of the peel and none of the white pith. Set aside.
• To make the meringues, in an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Make sure the bowl and whisk are freshly cleaned and dried. Whisk on medium until the eggs are foamy and frothy (about 1-2 minutes) and then slowly add in the sugar a little bit at a time. You want it to slowly absorb into the egg whites and build structure. Once all of the sugar is in the mixture, turn the mixer on high and just before you reach stiff peaks, add the powdered sugar. Run the mixer on low to combine and then increase to high until you reach stiff peaks, which should take less than a minute depending on the speed of your mixer. Add the orange blossom water (if using) and run the machine for 30 seconds to fully incorporate. The meringue will look glossy and hold its shape when you invert the whisk. The tip of the inverted meringue will be just shy of 12 o’clock. It should also feel smooth when you rub some between your fingers. (See more Meringue Tips in the Before We Get Started section above the photos).
• Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or two spoons, drop 24 mounds of meringue on the prepared baking sheet. Drop about 1-2 teaspoons of chocolate on top and sprinkle with a pinch of orange zest. Use a toothpick or knife to swirl circles at the tops of the meringues…don’t dip down too deeply into the meringue; keep it up at the surface. Also, don’t do too many swirls, or you’ll lose some detail and it will just look messy.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 2 hours. Check at some point between 1 and 1 1⁄2 hours to make sure the meringues aren’t browning and are still white. If they’re browning, turn off the oven. Let the meringues cool completely inside the oven. This should take several hours.
• Meringues are best within several days of making, stored airtight at room temperature. If it is especially humid out allow extra time to dry out in the oven.

Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo