Next to macaroons, I think meringues are probably the most inherently Passover-friendly dessert you will find. I love when we can take a year-round favorite, and not worry about making special adjustments. Fold in some cocoa powder and serve with a dipping sauce (made from jam and lemon juice) and upgrade these to a fab closer of your holiday meal.

Prep time: 15

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

For Meringue

  • 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 3 teaspoons cocoa powder, sifted
  • pinch kosher salt

For Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until it just holds soft peaks. With mixer running, add a tablespoon of sugar at a time, beating on high until stiff, glossy peaks hold. Gently fold in salt and cocoa powder.
  3. Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch star tip. Pipe 1-inch wide stars about ½-inch apart until you have used all the meringue. If you don’t have a pastry bag or tips, you can fill a gallon Ziploc and trim the tip off. Pipe small circles as you would with a pastry bag.
  4. Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours or until meringues are dry and crisp. Turn the oven off and cool in the oven with the door propped open for 1 hour.
  5. In a small bowl, combine jam with lemon juice and stir to loosen. If still too thick, add a few drops of water until jam is the right consistency to use as a dipping sauce.

Yields: 20 meringues