Chocolate Meringue Swirls for the Chicago Food Blogger Bake Sale

>This weekend, Share our Strength has organized a massive food blogger bake sale across the country, a national effort to end childhood hunger in America. In Chicago, our Chicago Food Blogger Bake Sale will be on Saturday from 12 to 3 at the Poison Cup Wine and Art Boutique. Last year’s national bake sale raised over $1 Million!

If you’re in the area, plan to stop by and treat yourself to goodies baked by over 20 Chicago food bloggers including:

• Maris from In Good Taste 
• Emily from West of the Loop 
• Kelly from the Pink Apron 
• Joelen from What’s Cookin’ Chicago who I have the pleasure of editing on BlogCritics Tastes 
• and, of course, yours truly.

I always have a tough time choosing just one cookie to bake for an occasion. My favorite are these elegant yet deceptively fudgy chocolate meringue swirl cookies. Their delicate shell yields to a moist chocolatey center, and they’re surprisingly easy to make, easy to whip up in under an hour.

I have a few other ideas and I may end up making more than one cookie. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s dulce de leche sandwich cookies, as I continue my love affair with making batches of dulce de leche on the stove.

Chocolate Meringue Swirl Cookies 
(Makes 50)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients
4 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped) (about ½ cup)
4 large egg whites
1 cup of sugar

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat; set aside. 
2. In a medium saucepan, bring 1-2 inches water to a simmer. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, combine egg whites and sugar. Place over simmering water and whisk until mixture is hot, 4-5 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and mixture is lukewarm, 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove bowl from mixer and drizzle melted chocolate over egg whites, folding in with a rubber spatula until just marbled. Barely mix it! The more you stir, the less interesting these meringues will be.
5. With a soup spoon, drop batter in large mounds spaced 1 ½ – 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake until crunchy outside and still chewy inside, 35-40 minutes. 
6. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool completely before removing cookies from parchment. Store in airtight container.