How to make meringue cookies recipe

How to make meringue cookies recipe with the easy and quick French meringue method ! Certainly the best recipe there is, the simplest way to make these little homemade crunchy cookies !

Feel like making a super crunchy homemade meringue cookies ? But just at the thought of having to search for The perfect Recipe, the time to choose between the different methods, you give up!

So keep in mind that this recipe is the best and easiest method and I'll explain it to you in detail 🙂

What is Meringue cookies

The meringue is a pastry, composed of very simple ingredients, egg whites and powdered sugar. After baking this mixture we obtain a very light and crunchy cookie.

Widely used in pastry making, there are several methods of preparation of this recipe, the French method, Italian meringue and Swiss meringue. Even if in each method, it is always the same process of the whipped eggs whites in which sugar is added

French Meringue

The best known of all and probably the easiest to do is the French method. The whites are whisked, then the sugar is integrated, a very simple recipe to remember because we use twice the weight of the whites to have the quantity of sugar to incorporate.

Example: for 75 g of eggs whites we add 150 g of powdered sugar.

Why choose this recipe

• The easiest to do
• Egg white to sugar ratio easy to remember
• Crunchy

Usefool tools for this recipe

• Stand mixer for its power to raise the whites but for small quantities it is possible to use an electric mixer.
• Baking tray, perforated for better results
  
• Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
• Disposable pastry bag for easier handling and shaping of the meringue 
  
• Icing nozzle, to create beautifully shaped meringues 
  
• Eggs separator, useful tool to properly separate whites from yellows

Ingredients

• Room temperature egg whites, without traces of egg yolk and at room temperature.
• Granulated sugar, onlu whit sugar, no confectionners sugar or other unrefined sugar.
• Cream of tartar, optional to stabilize egg whites.

How to make meringue cookies

1. Clean your utensils with hot water and soap or by wiping with a cloth soaked in vinegar to destroy the fat, that could prevent the whites from rising .
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C on a fan and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Heat the powdered sugar for about 5 minutes in the oven, pouring it onto the baking tray lined with baking parchment, making sure to spread it over the entire surface.
4. Beat the egg whites in the bowl of your electric mixer or stand mixer at low speed while the sugar heats up.
5. Increase the speed of the mixer as the whites start to bubble until soft peaks form.
6. Add the granulated sugar to the egg whites in small batches one time at one while the mixer is running at high speed. And continue mixing for another 5 to 7 minutes.
7. And let the mixer run for a few more minutes until you get a perfect meringue, nice, firm and shiny.

Cooking

1. Fill a pastry bag with a nozzle tip of your choice.
2. Poach small piles in the desired shape on your baking sheet covered with baking paper.
3. Bake the meringues in the oven at 100°C until they peel off the parchment paper.
4. Allow to cool before moving them.

6 tips to make a success of the meringue cookies

Here is a summary of the important points to remember for a successful meringues cookies recipe:

1. Use fresh egg whites
   
2. Clean your utstensils
3. Use a powerful mixer
4. Add acid to stabilize
   
5. Add gradually the sugar
6. A long and soft cooking
   

1 - Fresh egg whites

Use Fresg eggs and not old of several days, the whites will foam better and the meringues will be smoother. Also remember to separate the whites from the yolks when they are cold it works better. To do this you can use an egg separator, because there must be absolutely no traces of yolk in the whites which could prevent them from rising.

2 - Clean your ustensils

Meringue doesn't like grease so track it down by perfectly cleaning your utensils with hot water and soap. You can use white vinegar to effectively remove all traces of fat from the bowl and whisk of the mixer.

3 - Using a powerful mixer

Use a powerful stand mixer preferably to gradually whisk the egg whites to snow. However, it is possible to use an electric hand mixer to make small quantities of meringue.

4 - Add acid to stabilize

Meringue doesn't like fat but it likes acid! That's why you can add lemon juice (1tsp for 100g of whites). Cream of tartar (1 pinch for 100 g of whites) or white vinegar (hence the advantage of cleaning the bowl with.

5 - Add gradually the sugar

Gradually add the sugar to the whites while letting the mixer run at maximum speed. It is best to add one tablespoon at a time to give it time to blend into the egg whites.

6 - A long and soft cooking

Soft and long cooking is the key to the success of crispy meringues, they must dry without the sugar burning, to keep the meringues white.

The temperature of the oven should never exceed 248° F / 120°C, ideally around 212°F / 100°C. The Cooking is also more uniform with the rotating heat function. Also you can open the oven door after one hour of baking to expel the humidity. 

The time will depend on the size of the meringues ! For very small meringues as here it is about 1 hour and for larger meringues it will be necessary to extend the time to 1h30 - 2 hours. Meringues will have a chewy heart but if you want them dry and crunchy then leave them in the oven off for at least 1 hour.

How to Store Meringue

Meringue cookies can be kept for a long time at room temperature, but they are even better after several days because they will be even drier and crunchier. Place them in a preservation box with an airtight lid and you can keep them for several weeks. 

Do not place your meringues in the fridge, humidity could melt them. If you use your meringues cookies to decorate a cake, place them at the last minute. 

FAQS about French meringue

Can we flavour meringue?

Add food flavorings to the preparation of the meringue to flavor it. Or you can add natural food flavors, such as lemon juice, cocoa powder or coffee. (Be careful with the amount of added liquids that would change the texture of the meringue. So it will take longer to cook and the meringue will be less crunchy and more chewy).

Can we color the meringue?

Meringue can be easily colored by adding food coloring gels or powdered food coloring during recipe preparation.
Or by applying directely whit a toothpick to the inside of the pastry bag or the inside of the nozzle, which will give the coloring effect in certain places.

Other recipes with meringue

• Chocolate raspberry meringue cookies
  
• Mini pavlovas with red fruits
• Lemon meringue tarts

Don't forget to tag me @sweetlycakes on Instagram if you make the meringue cookies recipe and to add a link to my recipe if you share it on your blog 😉

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