Rose's Baking Basics

Fudgy Praline Pecan Meringue Ice Cream Sandwiches

Makes Twenty 2½ inch cookies (10 sandwiches)

Oven Temperature: 350°F/175°C

Baking Time: 5 minutes for the pecans; 10 to 15 minutes for the meringues

baking Equipment: Two 15 by 12 inch cookies sheets, lined with parchment; 2 tablespoons

The original of this treasured recipe was given to me many years ago by chef Vinnie Scotto. This chocolate version features unsweetened chocolate that, in addition to the molasses in the brown sugar, not only further tempers the sweetness of the meringue, but also creates a lusciously fudgy interior with a crisp crust. My favorite ice creams to sandwich in between these meringues are dulce de leche, caramel, coffee, and strawberry.

Makes 400 grams meringue batter

2 large egg whites	60 grams	¼ cup (59 ml)
pecan halves	150 grams	1½ cups, divided
light brown sugar, preferably light Muscovado	150 grams	¾ cup minus 1 tablespoon, firmly packed
fine-quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, grated	56 grams	about ⅓ cup (2 ounces), loosely packed
ice cream of your choice	280 to 360 grams	about 1½ cups

Preheat the Oven

▪ Twenty minutes or longer before toasting the pecans, set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Set the oven at 350ºF/175ºC.

Mise en Place

▪ Thirty minutes to 1 hour ahead, into the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh or measure the egg whites. Cover them.

▪ Toast and chop the pecans: Spread the pecans evenly on a cookie sheet. Place the pan on the upper rack and bake for 5 minutes, without letting the nuts brown, to enhance the flavor. Stir once or twice to ensure even baking. Cool completely and divide into two equal parts (75 grams/¾ cup each). Chop one part into medium fine pieces.

Make the Meringues

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and sugar on medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides. On medium-high speed, beat for an additional 5 minutes, or until the meringue is very thick and light in color.

2. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and, using a large silicone spatula, fold in the grated chocolate, then all of the pecans.

Shape the Meringues

3. Use two tablespoons to spoon 10 dollops of meringue (20 grams each) onto each of the cookie sheets, a minimum of 1½ inches apart. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to shape the dollops into 2¼ inch wide by ½ inch high discs. The meringues will spread to about 2½ inches before baking but will not spread any more during baking. Stir the meringue mixture from time to time to ensure that each spoonful includes some of the nuts.

Bake the Meringues

4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The meringues will crack slightly, which adds to their charm. A wire cake tester inserted in one of the cracks should come out sticky, and the meringues should give slightly to pressure. (An instant-read thermometer should read about 212ºF/100ºC.) If longer baking is required, rotate the cookie sheets halfway around, exchange their positions from top to bottom, and continue baking for a few more minutes.

Cool the Meringues

5. Set the cookie sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely on the sheets. The meringues will firm on sitting, which will make it easy to lift them off the parchment using a thin pancake turner. Sandwich the meringues with ice cream now, or store the cookies airtight for up to 2 months.

Sandwich the Meringues with Ice Cream

6. Refrigerate the ice cream for 20 minutes to soften it slightly before sandwiching the meringues. Chill a cookie sheet in the freezer.

7. Set 5 of the meringues, flat bottom sides up, on the chilled pan. Spoon about 2 tablespoons (28 to 36 grams) ice cream on top of each cookie. Set a second meringue, flat bottom side down, on top. When the ice cream is soft enough to press down easily, evenly press the top of each meringue bringing the ice cream almost to the edge. If desired, use a small metal spatula to fill the opening at the sides with a little more ice cream and smooth it level with the edge of the meringue. The ice cream should be around ½ inch thick.

8. Repeat with the second batch.

9. Cover the sandwiches with plastic wrap and set them in the freezer until firm. When firm, wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container in the freezer.

Store Airtight: frozen, 2 months.

Baking Pearl

Freezing the baked and cooled meringues and softening the ice cream makes it easier to avoid cracking the meringues when sandwiching with ice cream.

Make This Recipe Your Own

Vary the type of chocolate to your taste. It’s fine to use dark chocolate of any percentage cacao.

Making Fudgy Praline Pecan Meringues