Mint Chocolate-Chip Meringues

• MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup egg whites (from about 4 eggs)
2. 2/3 cup sugar
3. 1/4 teaspoon mint extract or mint flavoring (not mint oil)
4. 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped or grated
5. 4 ounces semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Heat the egg whites and sugar in the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water until warm to the touch; this will help you get more air into the whites when you whip them. Transfer the whites to a mixer fitted with a whisk and whip until soft peaks form. Add the mint extract and continue whipping just until stiff and glossy. Fold in the chopped unsweetened chocolate.
3. Scrape the mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe bite-size kisses onto the cookie sheets and bake until the meringues are the color of milky coffee, 25 to 30 minutes. To test, remove one meringue from the oven, let cool for 1 minute, then taste; it should be dry and crisp all the way through. Let the meringues cool on the pans.
4. Melt the semisweet chocolate over a water bath. Dip the tines of a fork into the chocolate and drizzle the meringues with melted chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is set, 30 minutes to an hour (or let set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes).
5. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.