Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues

What an ugly weather day it was yesterday....rainy, windy, gray....but at least there was no snow. ( No, that is making another appearance tonight!  Boo!)  It made me feel like not wanting to do ANYTHING that required leaving the house, but when my youngest son came home from school and asked to go to the mall, I decided it might be good to get out and use the mall as an excuse to get some walking in.  So that is exactly what I did. The mall was dead...which is exactly how I like it!   Since we left so late, we decided to have dinner at Houlihan's in our local mall.  We were early enough to take advantage of the early bird specials, and much to my delight, they now have several healthy choices on that menu.  I got the broiled tilapia and subbed a plain baked potato for the mashed it was supposed to come with.  It was also served with steamed broccoli and a side salad ( which I did my standard request of ONLY vegetables and dressing on the side).  For the one price of $12.99 we were given a choice of dessert to finish off our meals, which I will admit, I ate half of...so I ended up dipping into my extra points for the week...but not too far since the dinner itself was just so point friendly!  There are many restaurants that I rarely go to or have just stopped eating at because making healthy choices was so difficult.  Houlihan's was one of them....but now, it is back on the list...as long as they keep healthy choices available that is!

With it being March....and with St. Patty's Day fast approaching...it seems the color green is everywhere!  We saw Irish dancing at the mall yesterday ( nice treat!), enough snow has melted to see the grass again and  McDonald's is selling Shamrock Shakes ( another thing I used to love but have stopped indulging in...they aren't as good as they used to be anyway! )  so the thought of something minty and green has been on my mind for some time.  I decided to try a batch of meringues flavored with mint, colored green, and speckled with mini chocolate chips.....and well, in the words of Charlie Sheen....WINNING!  I think over the few days they were around, I ended up eating most of the batch...which is really OK because they are so low in points+.  If you have never made meringues before, they are super easy...just a little time consuming.  And with their lovely green color, these pretty much say "spring is coming" to me!



Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues loosely adapted from Chocolate and the Art of Low-fat Desserts by Alice Medrich


Servings -approx. 24 meringues    Serving size -1 meringue   PP per svg - 1 point+
Calories - 46.4,   Total Fat - 0.7g,   Carb. - 9.8g,   Protein - 0.8g,   Fiber - 0.1g


2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, which has gone through the food processor for 30 seconds
2 drops green food color
1/4 tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 oz. mini chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil.  In a medium bowl,  whip the egg whites with a hand mixer, when foamy, add the cream of tartar.  Continue whipping until soft peaks form.   Once soft peaks form, slowly add the sugar a little at at time.  Continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.  ( peaks that form when the beaters are removed that stay up)  Be patient, this takes awhile.

2.  Quickly beat in the food color and the extract and then fold in the chips by hand.  You can either put the mixture into a gallon sized bag and snip a hole big enough for chips to come out and pipe about 1- 2 TBS. onto parchment line baking sheets or you can use two spoons, one to scoop, and the other to move the mixture off onto the pans into mounds. 

3.  Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Store in airtight container. 

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a nice night :) So glad you found a healthy option out! And the meringues look SO good. The combination of mint and chocolate is heavenly- and perfect for St. Patty's Day! Enjoy your Friday

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  2. Sounds like such a nice time with your son. So glad you were able to find some healthy choices. These meringues looks sooooo good. And only 1 pp each? A definite keeper. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day Renee!!

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  3. I have been looking for something points friendly for St. Pats Day and I found it! Can't wait to try these, may end up making them this weekend and start early. Thanks again for sharing.

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  4. Well doesn't this look most enjoyable and delish. Perfect for st. patty's day!

    xo

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  5. I haven't been to a mall in a while - I am a thrift store/goodwill whore!

    Glad that they had healthy options - Houlihan's by us closed down about 3 years ago, so we usually go to Friday's.

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  6. baking/cooking together is a great way to bond with our kids- fun, educational and yummy

    Happy foodtripping, hope you check out my entry too
    I Love Darly!

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  7. Thanks for sharing us your yummy recipe. When I read the word "chocolate" I know I have to make this one sometime soon as my 3 boys is a chocolate addict while I'm inot Meringue. :)
    Have a happy weekend and I also LIKE your FB page. :)

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  8. i love to try making this one! thanks for sharing your recipe! my kids will love this i am sure! :)

    PinayMum - Mommy's Life Around...

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  9. I just made these! I've never made meringue anything before...so we'll see how they turn out (they are in the oven). I subbed raspberry jello in place of the mint (I was out). They sure look pretty:) Thanks for all these wonderful recipes!! I just found your blog and LOVE it!!!

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