Malteser meringues aren't for the faint hearted. Word.

I'm a girl. Technically I'm supposed to love chocolate. Well I just don't. I like it. A bit.

I can't eat a whole bar of chocolate, not ever. It makes me feel sick. I could eat a whole block of cheese, three packets of Starburst, a multipack of corn based snacks and drink a whole bottle of wine but a single chocolate bar? No. Which means that I have to do something with the vast amounts of chocolate knocking around the Onion household following the selection box frenzy that was Christmas.

So I started today. I stuck two fingers up at the January diet, fat free soup brigade and launched into some hefty baking involving a lot of sugar. And it felt good.

Sweet things allegedly release happy chemicals in the brain. If this is the case then these sticky, sweet meringue treats are the equivalent of all all night rave in a darkened warehouse. Be warned.

Malteser meringues with chocolate ganache and malteser cream

Ingredients:

For the meringues.

4 organic egg whites

115g caster sugar

115g icing sugar

teaspoon white wine vinegar

teaspoon vanilla extract

1 packet of Maltesers

For the chocolate ganache

100g good quality dark/plain chocolate

4 tbsp double cream

For the malteser cream

300ml double cream

1 pack maltesers

• Preheat the oven to 140/gas mark 1
• Lightly oil a flat baking tray, line with greaseproof paper and lightly oil the greaseproof as well.
• In a very clean bowl whisk together the egg whites with the caster sugar until stiff. This usually takes at least 3 minutes
• Add the icing sugar, vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk again for another 3o seconds or so until glossy.
• Crush a packet of Maltersers in a bag with a rolling pin and then gently fold in to the meringue mixture.
• Spoon onto the prepared baking sheets swirling around with the back of a spoon and bake for 45 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and open the door, leaving it open for another 10 mins for the meringues to gently cool in the oven.
• Carefully lift out the meringues to finish cooling on a rack

For the Ganache

Simmer some water in a pan with a heatproof bowl on top. Add 100g plain or dark chocolate stirring gently to melt.

Add 4 tablespoons of double cream and stir into the melted chocolate. Put to one side to cool slightly.

For the Malteser cream

Whip the cream until thick and add a packet of crushed maltesers.

Now all you have to do is sandwich the meringues together with the chocolate ganache and whipped malteser cream. And die happy. You little raver.