Salted Dark Chocolate Meringue Brownie Bites
Make crackly chocolate meringue brownie bites with crisp shells, chewy centers, dark chocolate chunks, and a delicate finish of flaky sea salt.
Ingredients
- 3 large Egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup Superfine or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 oz Dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Ensure the mixing bowl and whisk are completely clean and grease-free. Add room-temperature egg whites to the bowl.
- Beat on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks begin forming.
- Increase speed gradually. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time while beating continuously. Do not dump all sugar in at once. Continue beating until meringue is thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks — most of the sugar should feel dissolved when a small amount is rubbed between clean fingertips.
- Beat in vanilla and fine sea salt just until incorporated.
- Sift cocoa over the meringue. Fold gently with a silicone spatula using broad folding strokes. Some dark streaking is acceptable initially. Do not aggressively stir and deflate the meringue.
- Fold in chopped dark chocolate.
- Portion approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie onto prepared sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches between portions. Lightly sprinkle each with a few flakes of sea salt — do not heavily salt.
- Bake 12–14 minutes until the outside is set, crackled, and dry-looking while the center remains slightly soft.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a rack.
Chef's Notes
CLEAN EQUIPMENT: Fat can interfere with egg-white foaming. Use a clean bowl and whisk. SUGAR ADDITION: Adding sugar gradually helps create a smoother, more stable glossy meringue. COCOA: Fold rather than beat once cocoa is added. DARK CHOCOLATE: Finely chopped chocolate gives irregular molten pockets instead of uniformly shaped chips. FLAKY SALT: Use only enough to sharpen the dark chocolate flavor. TEXTURE: These should not be baked like traditional completely dry meringue kisses. The goal is a thin crisp crackled shell with a chewy, brownie-like center. WHIPPING: No artificial timer is needed for whipping. Use visual cues — soft peaks, then stiff glossy peaks.