I decided to make these little Leprechaun Kisses for my grandmas to enjoy with their Irish Coffee and for the girls to enjoy with a mint (or plain) hot cocoa while playing cards on St. Patrick’s Day. These little Leprechaun Kisses are creme de menthe flavored meringues with dark chocolate surprise inside.
Leprechaun Kisses
3 large egg whites
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp LorAnn Oils Creme De Menthe Flavor
10 ounce bag dark chocolate chips (will use ¾ of a bag)
Green gel-paste food coloring
Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place chocolate chips on parchment paper with about 1” in between each one.
Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add cream of tartar and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Stir in green coloring and Crème of De Menthe.
Fill pastry bag fitted with #12 round tip, or tip of choice, with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Holding bag right above the chocolate chip squeeze out enough to cover the chocolate chip and pull up.
Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
Recipe adapted from Martha Strewart basic meringue recipe.