Directions

• Wipe a medium size stainless steel or ceramic bowl with a little lemon juice, to eliminate any trace or fat on the surface. Do the same with the whisks attachments you will use. Pour the egg whites in the bowl.
• Start whisking on medium speed, until some foam starts forming on the surface. At this point, add one quarter of the sugar, and whip on high, adding the remainder of the sugar little by little until stiff and glossy. To test if the meringue is ready, remove the whisk. The peak on the tip of the whisk should hold its shape. Also, you should not feel any sugar granules if you squeeze some meringue between your fingers.
• Take two piping bags. Transfer half of the meringue to one piping bag. Pour the coffee powder in the remaining meringue and gently whisk to incorporate. Transfer your coffee meringue to the second piping bag.
• Switch on your oven at 100C to warm up, take out the large tray and line it with baking parchment. Snip the tip of each piping bag to obtain an opening of about 1 cm diameter. Staying perpendicular to the tray, pipe as many meringue kisses as you can fit. Transfer to the oven and bake for 3 hours. Keep the oven door ajar with a wooden spoon, to allow the steam to escape.
• Once the meringue kisses are cooked, removed them from the tray.
• Fill a medium saucepan with 3-4cm of water. Place over a medium heat and bring to a very gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pan so that it fits snugly but doesn’t touch the water, and lower the heat. Break up the chocolate and add to the bowl, then leave to melt for 4-5 mins, stirring regularly.
• Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool a little. Using a teaspoon, spread a little of the melted chocolate on one meringue kiss and top with another one. Repeat with all meringue kisses.
• Once finished, place on a plate and dust with cocoa powder.