Chocolate Meringue Cookies — for Passover!

This Milk Street recipe for chocolate meringue cookies works so well for Passover dessert! The only problem is that the recipe is more complex than it needs to be. Here's how I'd rewrite it so it is clear and so it reflects how simple this is to make.

Ingredients to buy:

• Bittersweet chocolate (8 oz)
• Butter
• Cocoa powder
• Instant espresso powder
• Eggs
• Light brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Kosher salt

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉
2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
3. Get a pot, a metal bowl, and a stand mixer with whisk attachment ready
4. Find your food/candy thermometer, your measuring spoons, and your kitchen scale 

How to:

STEP 1: Melt the chocolates and butter in a bowl, over a pot with simmering water:

1. Weigh out 5.5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and chop it into small pieces
2. Cut half a stick of butter into pieces
3. Put the chocolate and butter into a metal bowl
4. Add 20 grams of cocoa powder and half a teaspoon of espresso powder to the bowl
5. Fill a pot just larger than the bowl with one inch of water, and bring the water to a simmer with the bowl on top (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water)
6. Stir the mixture until it is completely melted and smooth
7. Take the bowl off the pot to let cool slightly while you make the meringue

STEP 2: Make the meringue:

1. Get your large bowl that you'll be whisking the meringue in (the bowl of your stand mixer if you have one)
2. Separate 3 eggs, putting the egg whites in the stand-mixer bowl and the yolks in a storage container
3. Add 145 grams light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and half a teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl
4. Put the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture reaches 100℉
5. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and whisk until soft peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes

STEP 3: Mix everything up

1. Weigh out 2.5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and chop it into small pieces
2. Fold one-third of the meringue into the melted chocolate mixture
3. Add the 2.5 ounces of chopped chocolate and the rest of the meringue
4. Fold all together until no white streaks remain

STEP 4: Drop and bake

1. Drop the batter in 2-tablespoon mounds 1.5 inches apart on cookie sheets
2. Bake until the tops are cracked but the insides are melty, about 12 to 14 minutes
3. Cool for 10 minutes on the pan
4. Move cookies to racks to finish cooling for about 30 minutes