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With these Light as Cloud Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies, your holidays have never been sweeter. These meringue cookies are the perfect addition to your dessert tray or holiday cookie exchange.

It’s probably obvious by reading my blog posts; I lean towards salty and savory flavors over sweets and chocolate. That is, unless I’m presented with meringue.

I adore the texture of anything meringue. The light texture, which is both crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside? Yes please. All day long.

Although it sounds super fancy, it’s really easy to make. And even better, it’s hard to mess up! I have a meringue recipe that I alter for the season. For Christmas, I’m adding The Fresh Market Dutch process baking cocoa, vanilla bean paste and semi-sweet chocolate chips. It’s the perfect holiday treat for my dessert tray which I serve for get-togethers during the season.

Enhanced with goodies that I grab from The Fresh Market Christmas section, my sweet treat spread looks amazing, tastes great, and is easy to assemble at a moment’s notice.

Light as Cloud Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high until soft peaks form. Add in the vanilla bean paste, then the sugar in batches, until the sugar dissolves (I taste it to check), the vanilla bean paste is mixed through, and the mixture is shiny.

Using a sift, sprinkle the cocoa powder and fold into the the meringue. Fold in the chocolate chips. It should be stiff (meaning, when you have a glob of it on the spoon, the peaks don’t sag.)

As gracefully as possible (hah!), plop the meringue on the baking sheet. I like mine to have about 2 tablespoons of meringue each. Bake until dry, about 50 minutes.

Allow to cool completely, then serve. If you store these, do so at room temperature. But, these are best same-day as they can get soft rather quickly.

Light as Cloud Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Yield: 20 cookies

With these Light as Cloud Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies, your holidays have never been sweeter. These meringue cookies are the perfect addition to your dessert tray or holiday cookie exchange.

Ingredients

1/2 cup egg whites at room temperature (approx. 5 large eggs)
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
2 Tb. Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high until soft peaks form. Add in the vanilla bean paste, then the sugar in batches, until the sugar dissolves (I taste it to check), the vanilla bean paste is mixed through, and the mixture is shiny.
Using a sift, sprinkle the cocoa powder and fold into the the meringue. Fold in the chocolate chips. It should be stiff (meaning, when you have a glob of it on the spoon, the peaks don't sag.)
As gracefully as possible (hah!), plop the meringue on the baking sheet. I like mine to have about 2 tablespoons of meringue each. Bake until dry, about 50 minutes.
Allow to cool completely, then serve. If you store these, do so at room temperature. But, these are best same-day as they can get soft rather quickly.

The Fresh Market is a specialty grocer known for providing a curated product selection of specialty foods with exceptional quality and the finest ingredients. It’s the perfect one-stop-shop to make your holiday season more spectacular (and less stressful!). Find your store here, and gather up ingredients for these Light as Cloud Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies.

Hosting a party? From jumbo cocktail shrimp and ready-to-cook crab cakes to savory cheese straws, find your holiday starters at The Fresh Market to deliver maximum flavor with minimal effort.

Need a few other recipes to entertain with? Try this Citrus Butter Salmon for a simple holiday dinner and serve it with this Charred Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad!