37 Melt-in-your-mouth Meringue Recipes You Won't Be Able to Get Enough of ... (2024)

FAQs

What are the three rules for making a successful meringue? ›

Don't use plastic bowls—they can retain a film of fat from previously mixed or stored items that can deflate the meringue. Don't make meringues on humid days. Humidity causes meringues to be sticky and chewy. Bake meringues at low temperatures because they tend to brown quickly.

Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is acidic, and it works to add better stabilization to meringue. The acid can be substituted for lemon juice or vinegar.

Abide — Avoid yolks; use a non-plastic bowl; add sugar slowly, and bake low and slow. Let slide — Don't pull your hair out if your eggs are cold, you don't have superfine sugar, or it's a humid day.

You can't overbeat meringue – It's true! You can't ruin it by mixing too much, so once all of the sugar is added, be sure that it is glossy and that you have super firm, stiff peaks when you remove the beater from the mixer. Don't be afraid to mix a little longer if it appears too soft.

No yolks here! Surprisingly, fat is the enemy of a good meringue. Think about it this way: Egg yolks are what you use when you want a dense, luscious dessert like mousse or chocolate pudding. Egg whites provide the lightest, airiest texture you can imagine.

We recommend using fresh, cold egg whites for meringues. They make a foam that is easier to work with, and the baked meringues have a more delicate and uniform texture.

The fat from the yolks will prevent - should you wish to whip up your whites for a meringue or something - from whipping up. It's like - well if you get any yolks in your whites you might as well start over.

To fix this, continue whisking the meringue for up to 15 minutes. This extended whisking time will help stiffen up the mixture and give it the desired consistency [1].

Can you leave meringue in the oven overnight? ›

This is a good cookie to make in the evening; meringues can be left in the oven (with the heat turned off) overnight. Baking vegan? A good substitute for the egg whites in this recipe is aquafaba, the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas.

If you add the sugar too quickly then the mixture will never acquire the stiff consistency you want. You also need to be careful if you've used extra ingredients to flavour your meringues. Oils (such as those in nuts or zest) and liquids can stop the egg whites from stiffening, so you have to experiment with amounts.

Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.

In the case of the meringues, adding the sugar at the start of mixing produced a cookie that was dull on the exterior, with a too-fine crumb within. The cookies made when the sugar was added at the very end had an overly airy texture (tasters compared it to Styrofoam) and a grainy consistency.

While sugar helps stabilize those whipped egg whites as you beat more air into it, there's still a risk of collapse. Cream of tartar is an added safeguard; it gives more stability to that foam structure, therefore setting up your meringue for success.

There are three basic types of meringue: French, Swiss, and Italian. While they all use egg whites as the primary ingredient, each style has its unique preparation method that affects its texture and taste.

Perfect peaks

The ideal point to whisk to is stiff peak, where the whites stand in a rigid point that doesn't fall back down on itself when the beaters are lifted. If the peaks are too soft when you add sugar, the meringue mixture risks being sloppy and will never thicken.

Italian meringue has a soft and creamy texture that is considered the most stable of the three types. Because it holds its shape so well, you can typically find Italian meringue piped on desserts like baked Alaska or pastries.

The oven temp will drop when you open the door to put the meringues in there so this higher temperature helps to mitigate some of that heat loss. We then turn the heat down lower and bake for an hour. This ensures that they stay bright white and get crispy and dry throughout.