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Skip the box of chocolate this Valentine’s Day and bake up a batch of these Valentine’s Day Chocolate Dipped Meringue Hearts instead!
It seems like I can’t go grocery shopping without seeing an entire aisle devoted to Valentine’s Day this time of year. But there’s only one reason I keep venturing down these aisles – my husband. Every year for Valentine’s Day, I buy him the same small box of chocolates. It’s become a yearly joke between us.
My husband loves Blue Nose Pitbulls. So five years ago, when I stumbled across a box of chocolates with a couple of blue pits on it, I knew I had to get it for him. He ended up loving it so much that he kept the cover of the box.
Year after year, I kept seeing the same box of chocolates. So every year, I’ve bought it for him. This year, I haven’t seen that box of chocolates yet, but I’m determined to find it! In the meantime, my permanent Valentine gets to help me test out recipes for Heart Day – you know, just in case that box of chocolates doesn’t show up this year!
These chocolate dipped meringue hearts are better than a box of chocolates!
During the holidays, I did a lot of baking! Most of it was semi-homemade from cookie mixes, but I did manage to bake a batch of homemade meringues. I had misplaced my star tip, so I affectionately called my holiday meringues “snowman poop.” They were vanilla meringue cookies decorated with a snow inspired sprinkle mix. The cookies turned out so good that I decided to make them again for Valentine’s Day. This time, I made them into pink hearts and dipped them into dark chocolate.
I figure these cookies will easily keep me from nosing around those Valentine’s Day aisles for myself, as tempting as they may be. My sweet tooth will stick to meringue. After all, a plain meringue cookie is only 10 calories. It might be a little more dipped in dark chocolate, but it’s so worth it. Especially when you compare it to the candy hanging out in those seasonal aisles in the store!
These cookies are light, crispy, and have a subtle vanilla flavor. You could definitely swap out the vanilla extract for a strawberry or raspberry extract. I dipped them in dark chocolate because that’s what I had on hand. Plus, dark chocolate is basically the healthiest chocolate you can consume. Despite the sweet temptation of the Valentine’s Day season, I’m still trying to keep my healthy eating habits in check.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- Dash of salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Red food coloring
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- Valentine's Day sprinkles
Instructions
- Add egg whites to a small bowl and let them come to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat with a whisk attachment until the eggs become foamy.
- Gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add a couple drops of red food coloring.
- Continue mixing on high until glossy and stiff peaks form.
- Add the mixture to a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe heart shapes onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the meringue cookies in the oven for 45 minutes. Then, turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven for an hour.
- Once the meringues are baked, melt the dark chocolate over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is smooth and melted completely.
- Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Then, sprinkle with Valentine's Day sprinkles.
- Let the chocolate set in the fridge (or at room temperature) and enjoy!
- Store the cookies in a sealed bag or container in a cool, dry place.
Have a Galentine’s Day gathering coming up or want a special treat for your Valentine? Whip up a batch of these cookies! As long as you make sure that your egg whites come to room temperature before whipping up these meringues, you’ll be good to go!
Don’t forget to share your meringue hearts by tagging me @lavidaholoka and using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats!
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