These French meringue cookies are so simple and sweet, pure in flavor, and they are the perfect guiltless snack. Making meringue is a foundational part of baking, and it’s a must as you are learning how to make other desserts, such as macarons.
These cookies are light and airy, but they have a nice bite. They have the simplest ingredients, but don’t let that fool you. Many French desserts are simple in nature but have an amazing end result!
What are French Meringue Cookies?
French meringue cookies are gluten-free cookies made from egg whites and sugar. Additionally, meringue cookies may have cream of tartar or another acid to act as a stabilizer for the egg whites. They may also have different flavorings, such as vanilla or almond.
These cookies only require about 15 minutes of prep time, 1 hour of baking time at a very low temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and 1-2 hours of resting to continue drying out.
They can be eaten plain, dipped in chocolate, or they can be filled with lemon curd, chocolate, pastry cream, and so on.
Tips for Making Foolproof Meringue Cookies
The process is pretty simple, but this is an intermediate recipe due to the necessary skill or knowledge it takes to make the meringues correctly. If this is your first time making meringue, no sweat! This section will give you tips and information so that your meringues turn out perfect every time.
- To start, the egg whites need to be room temperature , as they will whip up better than cold temperature whites.
- Do NOT use pasteurized egg whites, as they will not whip up. Sorry!
- Make sure that there is no yolk in the whites when separating the eggs. If even a little yolk gets into the whites, the meringue will not whip properly because fat from the yolk prevents the eggs from bubbling up and forming into foamy meringue.
- Adding cream of tartar to the egg whites stabilizes the eggs as they foam. While some French meringue recipes do not call for cream of tartar, I always opt to add it because meringue is not always stable.
- Pipe the meringues onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Dried meringue releases easily from parchment, but the cookies will not release as easily from Silpat or silicone mats.
- Leave the meringues in the oven for 1-2 hours after they are done baking. The diminishing heat allows the meringues to dry out without overcooking them.
- Blend the granulated sugar in a Blendtec or similar blender to turn the granulated sugar into super fine sugar. It will resemble powdered sugar after blending. I opt for this method over using regular powdered sugar because most powdered sugar found in stores contains cornstarch. Cornstarch leads to a chewy meringue, and we don’t want that.
- Lastly, adding the sugar at the right time is key to getting the meringue texture just right! The sugar should not be added all at once, and timing is everything. Read on below for the sugar instructions.
How do You Get the Right Texture?
- To get the right texture, start by whipping the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium high until the whites are foamy. They will NOT form any peaks at this point.
- Add the sugar in 6-8 additions, waiting 15-20 seconds between each addition. Scrape sugar down from sides of bowl, and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- If the sugar goes in before the whites begin to foam, the sugar will weigh the eggs down and it will take a lot longer for them to whip up. They may also be denser and duller when baked.
- If the sugar goes in at the end when the whites are almost stiff, then the texture will be grainy and have an unappealing texture.
How to Make French Meringues
- Whip room temp egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer until foamy.
- Add superfine sugar in 6 additions, turning the mixer down when adding the sugar and back up to high after each addition.
- Mix until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to check for stiff peaks.
- Stiff peaks are just that, stiff! Dip the tip of the whisk attachment or a spatula into the meringue and pull it away. If meringue breaks away and is pointy or almost straight, the consistency is just right.
- If you pull the spatula or whisk away and the peaks curl over, whip a little longer.
- Add flavoring and salt right at the end and whip in for just a few seconds.
- Pipe meringues onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake for 1 hour, allow to rest in the oven for 1-2 more hours, let cool, and enjoy.
French Meringue Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6–7 dozen 1x
- Category: French Desserts
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, room temp
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar, blended into superfine sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or 1/4 tsp almond emulsion(extract works too)
- Optional: 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate for dipping
Instructions
- Whip egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer until foamy. No peaks will form at this point.
- Add superfine sugar(granulated sugar that has been blended in a blender) in 6 additions, waiting 15-20 seconds between each addition. Turn the mixer down when adding the sugar and back up to high after each addition.
- Mix until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to check for stiff peaks.
- To check for stiff peaks, dip the tip of the whisk attachment or a spatula into the meringue and pull it away. If the meringue breaks away and is straight (like a little point) or almost straight, the consistency is just right. If the peaks curl over, whip a little longer.
- Add vanilla or almond emulsion and salt right at the end and whip for just a few seconds.
- Pipe meringues that are about 1 inch in diameter onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour, turn oven off, and allow to rest in the oven for 1-2 more hours.
- Let cool completely and eat them as they are or dip in melted semi-sweet chocolate. Let the dipped meringues dry on parchment and enjoy.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
This is a Baker Street original recipe.
Keywords: French meringue, meringue cookies, french meringue cookies, meringue recipe
Pingback: The Best Pavlova Recipe (Foolproof) - BakerStreetSociety
Pingback: Meringue Christmas Trees - Baker Street Society