Chocolate fudge meringues

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When Marilee Geller got married in 1967, her mother gave her The Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery — all 12 volumes! — which included this recipe for chocolate fudge meringues.

Day 13 of the Free Press's 21 Days of Holiday Cookies features Chocolate fudge meringues. We will be publishing one cookie recipe every day -- Monday to Saturday -- till Christmas.

When Marilee Geller got married in 1967, her mother gave her The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery -- all 12 volumes! -- which included this recipe for chocolate fudge meringues. These have been a favourite of family and friends for years, and as Marilee points out, they're also gluten-free.

Chocolate fudge meringues

Chocolate fudge:

170 g (1 cup) chocolate chips

45 ml (3 tbsp) butter

4 egg yolks

30 ml (2 tbsp) corn syrup

Meringues:

4 egg whites (at room temperature)

1 ml (1/4 tsp) cream of tartar

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

250 ml (1 cup) sugar

2 ml (1/2 tsp) pure almond extract

2 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla

Brazil nuts, chopped

To make chocolate fudge, melt chocolate chips with butter in top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Add egg yolks slightly beaten with corn syrup and cook, stirring, for five minutes. Remove from heat and beat until smooth and spreadable.

Preheat oven to150C (300F). To make meringues, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt and beat until whites begin to hold their shape. Add sugar ---- very, very gradually -- while beating constantly, until whites are stiff but not dry. Add extracts. Drop by teaspoons onto a sideless cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Using a spoon, make a slight dip in the centre of each meringue and add a dab of chocolate fudge mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool slightly on rack before removing meringues.

Tester's notes: There's nothing like a meringue to remind you that baking is about science -- the temperature of the eggs, the slightest hint of yolk in the whites, any oil residue on bowls or beaters, even the humidity of the room can affect how meringues rise. Perfecting your technique is worth it, though: the light, delicate meringue is a perfect contrast to the creamy fudge centre.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 15, 2010 D1