Meringue Cookies – billowy, calorie-free and airy, fragile together with squeamish, perfectly crisp as well as deliciously sugariness. These whimsical cookies are a breeze to make when following these elementary steps too guidelines. A neat nostalgic recipe to add to the recipe volume together with a perfect vacation process!
Meringue Cookie Recipe
My kids dearest meringue cookies, I hateful who wouldn’t? They sense of taste similar candy too they pretty much melt in your oral fissure.
You’ll love that they keep actually good together with they’re a fun modify from the typical cookie. Plus they’re fun to customize amongst other flavors, decorate alongside festive sprinkles, or dip in night chocolate afterwards baking too cooling.
Plus the manifestly meringues are naturally depression inward calories, non that nosotros’re actually counting this fourth dimension of year anyway though correct?
And actually the mixer does virtually of the function hither. The cookie mixture tin be ready inward nether 10 minutes too entirely requires a few pantry staples yous likely already have on hand. Don’t y'all but dearest recipes similar this?
Meringue Cookie Ingredients:
You alone postulate five ingredients to brand meringue cookies!
- Large egg whites
- Cream of tartar
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
What is Cream of Tartar?
It’second a dry in addition to powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into vino. It’sec also known every bit potassium bitartrate, potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid.
It is commonly used when whipping egg whites because it speeds up the creation of air bubbles too helps stabalize those tiny air bubbles then they don’t deflate. This in turn equals taller, sturdier baked goods.
The general rule when using cream of tartar with egg whites is to purpose one/8 tsp per egg white.
How to Make Meringue Cookies:
- Move racks, preheat oven in addition to make baking sheets: Set oven racks inwards upper and lower tertiary of oven. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line 2 rimmed eighteen by xiii-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add whites, cream of tartar too vanilla to stand up mixer bowl: Add egg whites to real clean metal or drinking glass mixing bowl of electric stand up mixer if yous haven’t already. Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract.
- Whip to soft peaks alongside whisk attachment: Set mixer amongst a whisk attachment together with whip mixture on medium speed to soft foamy peaks, virtually ane minute. Then while mixing on medium speed over the course of nigh i infinitesimal, slowly sprinkle inward granulated sugar and add together salt.
- Whip to strong glossy peaks: Increase mixer speed to high in addition to whip until thick glossy peaks class, this volition have several minutes.
- Transfer mixture to pipe handbag: Transfer half of the mixture to a pipage handbag fitted with a big star tip (I similar to use Ateco 826 through 829 which are only smaller to larger sizes. I purpose the larger ones for the teardrop form. You can buy a set of 820’second HERE – affiliate link).
What are Stiff Peaks?
Wondering what a potent summit actually is? There are most four chief stages of whipping egg whites to attain stiff peaks.
- First stage: the xanthous toned egg whites beginning to make piffling bubbles in addition to outset to go foamy together with the color stars to plough to a more whitish tone.
- Second phase: the bubbles get-go to tighten and become gentle ribbons of soft peaks which crimp right away in addition to dorsum into the mixture.
- Third stage: it attains medium house peaks which concur a piffling meliorate just the peaks curls over (when yous elevator the whisk from meringue) this phase won’t piping as well together with agree a defined cast, and so keep mixing.
- Fourth phase: there’sec last stiff peaks (as pictured above). Mixture is thick too glossy together with holds an upright pointed tip. Perfect for pipe together with what y'all want to wait for here.
How to Bake Meringue Cookies:
- Pipe onto prepared baking sheets: Pipe meringue into rounds or tear drop shapes (like to styles pictured higher up, though they can be more shallow if desired) nearly i ane/4-inches wide, as well as spacing each most i-inch apart. Repeat amongst remaining mixture.
- Bake, switching pans halfway: Transfer baking sheets to racks inward preheated oven. Bake 30 minutes and then switch as well as rotate baking sheets too proceed to bake thirty minutes.
- Rest inwards warm oven: Turn oven off together with leave meringues inwards warm oven to rest one 60 minutes (or ii hours on humid mean solar day) to dry through.
- Remove as well as permit cool: Remove from oven together with permit cool at to the lowest degree x minutes before serving.
What About Using an Electric Hand Mixer?
I’ve also made this recipe many times using an electric mitt mixer. While it works slap-up it just takes most twice every bit long whipping on high speed to become to potent peaks.
Can I Make Them amongst Other Flavor Variations?
Yes, a adept choice is to role almond extract, peppermint extract or lemon extract here inward home of vanilla if desired (if using i of these add together almost the terminate since they take a hint of crude). Or add together seeds of one vanilla edible bean inward addition to the vanilla extract.
Then you lot tin can likewise attempt adding powders only meringues are more temperamental. I tried cocoa pulverisation for a chocolate meringues (iv Tbsp dutch cocoa and then likewise 4 Tbsp regular), which I folded into the meringue mixture at the end. Meringue peaks weren’t every bit stiff (in all likelihood due to the fat of the cocoa) as well as cookies took longer to bake together with dry out.
Then I tried ane oz. freeze dried strawberries (which I crushed to fine powder and also added approximately beet powder for colour) too I ran into a like thing. The meringues were really stiffer (the really dry strawberries made for real potent peaks) withal the peaks didn’t hold also during baking as well as it took longer to fix through. Both variations tasted smashing together with looked pretty, they were simply more than troublesome.
What About Mix-Ins?
You can add things similar finely chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips to the meringue batter just keep inward mind you lot won’t be able to piping the mixture, instead merely dollop tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared baking sheets.
Can I Tint Them with Food Coloring?
Yes. These tin too live tinted alongside a drop of 2 of gel nutrient color, or a few teaspoons of beet powder for a natural pink.
How Should They Be Stored?
Store meringues in an airtight container free from humidity in addition to inwards a cool home. Avoid storing amongst other foods with moisture.
How Long do They Keep?
Meringues should continue well if properly stored for almost two weeks. They tin can also be frozen for two months.
Tips for Meringue Cookies:
- Use room temperature egg whites. They’ll whip up to higher peaks than vs. cold whites.
- Egg whites are easier to separate from yolks when cold so sort outset and so balance at room temperature.
- Make sure there is no yolk in the whites or they won’t whip to strong peaks. I like to function with ane egg at a time bully into a smaller bowl showtime so adding to mixing bowl if it didn’t get any yolk. Watch out for those jagged trounce edges when separating white too yolk equally they always tend to suspension the yolk.
- Wait to add sugar until partway through. Added likewise shortly and whites don’t whip upwards also, added as well late in addition to sugar won’t dissolve.
- Don’t skip the cream of tartar. This is crucial every bit it stabilizes the whites then they’ll retain their stiff peaks. I’ve heard virtually double the amount of vinegar tin can work besides but cream of tartar has e'er just worked the best for me so I stick alongside it.
- I recommend using a glass or metallic bowl every bit these don’t tend to accept rest crude oil clinging to them the same equally plastic may.
- Avoid really humid days as peaks won’t hold too. If it’second a fairly humid twenty-four hours yous may desire to consider adding 2 tsp cornstarch in (mixed amongst saccharide commencement) equally this tin can also aid stabilize the egg whites inward addition to cream of tartar.
- Also on humid days be certain to balance meringues inward oven for the greater total of fourth dimension listed and so it thoroughly dries them through.
More Classic Cookie Recipes to Try:
- Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- four large egg whites, at room temperature (run into notes)
- i/2 tsp cream of tartar
- iii/iv tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated carbohydrate
- one/viii tsp salt
Instructions
- Set oven racks inward upper in addition to lower tertiary of oven*. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line ii rimmed eighteen by thirteen-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add egg whites to metal or glass mixing bowl of electrical stand mixer** if y'all haven't already. Add cream of tartar together with vanilla extract.
- Set mixer amongst a whisk attachment and whip mixture on medium speed to soft foamy peaks, virtually one infinitesimal. Then spell mixing on medium speed over the grade of virtually one minute, easy dust inwards granulated saccharide together with add table salt.
- Increase mixer speed to high and whip until really thick glossy peaks grade, this volition accept several minutes.
- Transfer half of the mixture to a pipe handbag fitter amongst a large star tip*** (I like to role Ateco 826 - 829 tips depending on desired shape).
- Pipe meringue into rounds or tear drib shapes well-nigh ane ane/iv-inches wide, too spacing each most one-inch apart. Repeat amongst remaining mixture.
- Transfer baking sheets to racks inwards preheated oven. Bake 30 minutes and so switch together with rotate baking sheets together with proceed to bake xxx minutes. Turn oven off in addition to exit meringues inwards warm oven to remainder one hour (or 2 hours on humid solar day).
- Remove from oven in addition to permit cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, costless from wet.
Notes
- To bring egg whites to room temperature working amongst ane egg at a time, separate egg white together with yolk, transfer to assort bowls. Be certain there is non driblet of yolk or this can tiny sum of fat can forestall whites from whipping to stiff peaks.
- Pour the 1 egg white (solely yolk costless) at a fourth dimension into real clean drinking glass or metallic mixing bowl (plastic is not recommend as it can retain residuum grease). If i of the egg yolks breaks when separating white as well as yolk so but reserve inwards refrigerator for another use.
- Let whites residue until they come to room temperature virtually hr.
*Note that every oven is dissimilar, my oven tends to dark-brown on elevation more than is criterion and so I commonly try to position i rack most heart and ane inwards lower third merely non correct on bottom rack.- **I've too made this recipe many times using an electric manus mixer. While it works not bad it just takes almost twice as long whipping on high speed to become to stiff peaks.
- ***Don't take a pipe bag in addition to tip? Mixture tin can likewise only be dropped past the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets using ii spoons or a cookie scoop.
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS
- Use almond extract, lemon extract or peppermint extract (solely i/2 tsp of this ane) inward home of the vanilla. Mix inwards closer to the cease since it has a hint of rock oil inward it.
- Fold inward finely chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips, dollop past tablespoon total onto baking sheets instead of pipe.
- Sprinkle meringues amongst nonpareil or carbohydrate crystal sprinkles before baking.
- Dip cooled meringues inwards melted chocolate in addition to permit prepare.
Amount Per Serving
Calories eleven
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*