Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and prepare two piping bags with large round tips. 

Using a mortar + pestle or a bag + rolling pin, crush the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Set aside. 

Bring a pot, with a few inches of water, to a strong simmer. 

In a medium-sized stainless steel or glass bowl, combine egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine. 

Set the bowl on top of the pot with simmering water. The bowl should remain higher than the water level. 

Continuously mix and heat the egg whites and granulated sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. This will occur at 120F (50F).

Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat and transfer to a new medium or large-sized bowl.

Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks have formed. The meringue will look shiny. This will take 5 – 10 minutes.

Add the vanilla, and whip for another minute. 

Remove half of the meringue and transfer to another bowl. 

Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder to one bowl, and cocoa powder to the other. 

Fold the powders into the meringue slightly, just to see a swirl. 

Transfer each flavored meringue mix to a piping bag. 

Holding the piping bag perpendicular 1cm overtop of a baking sheet, squeeze the mixture out while lifting the bag slightly to form meringues. Space the meringues 2 inches apart, while having the size between 1 ½ - 2 inches in diameter. 

Bake the meringues for 16 minutes. 

The meringues will have grown a bit in size, be slightly cracked on top, look quite shiny, and be soft in the center.

Allow the meringues to cool completely on the baking sheets before removing them.

Serve once completely cooled.