Merveilleux

What’s so great about this recipe

This recipe is a chocoholics dream and it is truly not hard to make. If you can whip egg whites, you can make this recipe. It does take some time since the meringues need to bake for several hours. But this is hands-off time.

The ingredients and techniques are adaptable and accessible for most home bakers. Your friends and family will say “merci beaucoup”.

Ingredient Notes

• Egg Whites – Use fresh egg whites. Do not use pasteurized egg whites unless the carton specifically states they can be used for meringue.
• Rum – The alcohol is optional, but remember that alcohol enhances other flavors. It’s especially nice with chocolate.
• Chocolate – Semi Sweet Chocolate is the best for making the cream filling.
• Cream – Heavy cream has a higher percentage of fat than “whipping” cream. Use heavy cream in this recipe.
• Sprinkles – You can use chocolate shavings, chocolate sprinkles or any other sprinkle that you’d like to decorate the merveilleux.

• Draw circles to use as a piping guide on a sheet of parchment paper.
• Place another sheet of parchment over the piping guide.

• Whip the whites to soft peak before you begin adding the superfine sugar.
• Whip the meringue to full peak.
• Fold in the confectioner’s sugar.

• Pipe the meringues using the circles as a guide. If you don’t have a piping bag you can spoon the meringue.
• Smooth the tops of the meringues and bake.
• Flip half the baked meringues and pair them up by size.

• 1. Pipe chocolate cream onto the flipped cookies.
• Set up the cream, cookies, shavings and cupcake papers for finishing.

• Ice the cookie and drop it into the bowl of chocolate shavings.
• Roll the cookie around to cover it in shavings.
• Place the merveilleux into a cupcake paper for easy serving.

Pastry Chef Tips for making Merveilleux

• Always use fresh egg whites. If you use pasteurized egg whites from a carton make sure the package specifically says they can be used for meringue. Some markets sell pasteurized eggs still in the shell, which can also be used for this recipe.
• Make sure your mixing bowl is absolutely clean. If there’s a trace of grease or egg yolk the whites won’t whip properly.
• I use the same piping guide I use to make French Macarons. Using a guide helps you pipe consistently sized meringues for neater sandwiches. If you don’t have a piping bag you can clip the corner off of a sandwich bag or even just spoon the meringue onto the pan.
• The baking time for the meringues can vary based on your oven, the weather and other factors. Check the oven every 1/2 hour to hour to make sure the temperature doesn’t go over 200°F. If your oven is running hot you can prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon.
• The baked meringues can be stored in a tightly covered container for a couple of days. Make sure they are not in a humid environment like the refrigerator or they will soften.
• If the Merveilleux are eaten within 3-4 hours the meringue layers will still be crisp. After 3-4 hours the meringue become more marshmallow-y. They’re delish either way so you can serve them as you prefer.

Recipe Variations

• I flavored my Merveilleux with dark chocolate. But you use your imagination to adapt this recipe. White chocolate, milk chocolate, cinnamon, instant coffee or raspberry preserves could flavor the cream.
• Chocolate shavings are a traditional decoration, but you can roll them in mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, chopped nuts, cookie crumbs or even broken bits of meringue.