Do you have a sweet tooth but can’t eat flour? Meringue is the baker’s choice for flourless cookies. They’re a light, airy, and crunchy treat without guilt about gluten.
Baking them, on the other hand, is a different story. While their ingredients sound simple, it’s the meringue and the proper baking method that make meringue cookies an intermediate-level dessert. This guide will teach you about meringue types, how weather affects them, and the proper way to bake them.
Understanding Meringue
Before you want to grab your eggs, let’s talk about the three types of meringue. Depending on how you make your meringue will vary by baking temperature and the stability of your cookie.
French Meringue
French meringue is described to be airy. It can achieve stiff peaks with the powdered sugar you add while whipping your egg whites. This whip does not require tempering your eggs.
It is the least stable of the meringues. To prevent it from falling flat, you can either place the meringue in the preheated oven immediately or use cream of tartar, an acidic leavening agent.
Italian Meringue
Italian-style meringue is like eating a marshmallow made out of egg whites. It uses hot sugar syrup to temper the egg whites while whipping them. It’s the most common meringue used in baking because its stiff peaks last longer. You can eat this meringue without cooking it.
Swiss Meringue
Swiss meringue tempers the egg whites while whipping it with granulated sugar over a simmering pot of water. It’s described to be a mixture of French and Italian. It is easier to make than Italian but needs to be placed in the oven quickly like French.
To prevent it from deflating, add drops of lemon juice while whipping the meringue on and off the simmering pot until stiff peaks begin to form.
How Humidity Affects Meringue
Winter days or days with high humidity can make meringue tough to work with. Due to the sugar composition, the meringue will feel sticky while mixing. To stir meringue smoothly, the kitchen should be set at room temperature (68 to 75℉).
Italian Meringue Cookies
We will use Italian meringue because its peaks’ stability lasts longer. We will be combining two recipes from Nita, The Tough Cookie and John Kanell’s Preppy Kitchen.
For equipment, you will need:
- A hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
- Two bowls and a slotted spoon to separate the egg yolks and whites
- A large steel mixing bowl
- A measuring cup for water
- A candy thermometer to measure sugar syrup temperature
- A medium steel saucepan or pot for the syrup
- A piping bag with a star tip
- A tall cup
- Cake spatula
- Measuring spoons
- Wooden or metal stirring spoon
The ingredients you will need for the meringue are:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- A pinch (1/16 of tsp) of salt
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- Optional: 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
Preparing the Sugar Syrup
- Pour in the sugar and water into the saucepan. Carry it over to the stove with the heat on low (two on the electric stove).
- Gently stir until the sugar fully dissolves, then turn the heat to medium-high (7 on an electric stove) and let the syrup boil. While waiting, start separating the eggs.
Separating Egg Yolks and Whites
- Place the slotted spoon over the bowl you want to strain the egg whites.
- Carefully crack the egg on the kitchen counter and open it over the spoon. Place the egg into the yolk bowl if the yolk pops during cracking.
- After separating the eggs, pour the egg whites and salt into the large mixing bowl. (Optional: add the cream of tartar.)
Making Italian Meringue
- When the sugar is boiling, carefully clip the candy thermometer on the saucepan.
- Set the bowl into the stand mixer or three feet across the stove to check on the candy thermometer. Whip the egg whites on low speed while adding drops of vanilla until the mixture is foamy.
- When the thermometer reads 240℉, remove the saucepan from the stove to cool for 2 minutes. Then, lightly drizzle the hot syrup into the meringue while whipping on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the bowl is cooled. You can check by lifting the stand mixer or hand mixer to see if the peak stays on.
- Set the meringue in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes, and prepare the star-tipped piping bag for piping into the tall cup.
Baking the Cookie
- Preheat the oven to 200℉. If you have a single oven rack, place it in the center.
- Take your baking sheet and lay out your parchment paper. Do not grease the sheet; your meringue will fall flat from absorbing oily substances.
- When the oven is preheated, remove the meringue from the fridge and gently stuff it into the piping bag with a cake spatula. Tie the open end of the bag to prevent spills.
- Aim your star tip on the center of the sheet pan. Gently squeeze and lift the piping bag, then twist and release the bag to stop the meringue from leaking when you see a 1/2-inch circle. Repeat this step to create four dotted Vs.
- Gently set the meringue dollops into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to dry for one to two hours.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, plate and enjoy!
Baker’s Tips
If you want your cookies to have a certain flavor, whip flavor extracts or powders while forming the meringue. You can also fold the meringue with fruit jams or top the dollops with nuts and chocolate.
Do not throw away your yolks or failed cracked eggs. Save them for another egg recipe like hollandaise for eggs benedict or pudding.
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