Easy Meringues
One of my easiest and most delicious desserts is this meringue, which ends up crunchy on the outside and marshmallow-y on the inside. It’s so sweet, but not too sweet, which makes them so tasty and super impressive for a large group of people.
This recipe is a French meringue, while there are actually different types. French meringue is typically baked to get the specific crispy exterior and soft interior, it is a mix of egg whites and room temperature granulated sugar. I also add salt, cream of tartar (or lemon juice, or white vinegar), and vanilla extract (or any other extract). There is also Italian meringue, which is when hot sugar syrup is poured into eggwhites whipped to soft peaks, which helps stabilize it. Swiss meringue is when eggwhites and sugar are whisked in a double boiler.
You can easily spice this recipe up with different extracts, food coloring, cocoa powder, etc. You could pipe the meringue into different shapes and have lots of fun with it. Also, I sometimes shape the meringue into little bowls so, after it’s baked, I can fill it with whipped cream and berries! Lots of variation.
Here are some of my other dessert recipes: homemade tiramisu, summer swiss roll, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Check them out!
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or lemon juice or white vinegar)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250ºF. For meringues, bake low and slow.
- For this recipe, I would recommend using a stand mixer. You could use an electric hand mixer or a whisk, but it’ll be a lot more manual labor and it’ll be difficult to add sugar in small increments. You’re also in danger of undermixing the meringue. In the bowl of a mixer, add the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar (or other option for that ingredient).
- Mix on low for about one minute, until the mixture is foamy. Bring the mixer up to medium-high speed and start a timer for 7 minutes. Start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time until you’ve added it all. Bring the speed up to high and let it beat until the timer ends.
- You are looking for stiff peaks, so you should be able to flip the bowl upside down without any of the meringue falling out.
- Spoon the meringue directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or pipe it using a piping bag/ziplock bag. You should be able to make 12.
- Bake for about 25-35 minutes, 25 for softer meringues, and 35 for crunchier. Let cool on the baking sheet and enjoy!
Easy Meringues
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice or white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a standmixer (see above), add the egg whites, salt, vanilla, and cream of tartar (or other options for that ingredient).
- Beat on low speed for one minute until foamy. Start a timer for about 7 minutes. Put the speed up to medium-high and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time.
- When done, beat at high speed until the timer ends. Add in the vanilla. You are looking for stiff peaks, so you should be able to flip the bowl over without any meringue falling out.
- Spoon or pipe out 12 meringues onto the baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, 25 for softer, 35 for crunchier.
Notes
- See the blog post above for more details on why you should use a standmixer, the type of meringue, and customization options!