Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 8 tablespoons castor sugar
Instructions
- To start, add the egg whites into a stand mixer and beat with a balloon whisk until the whites are stiff.
- Add the sugar, half a tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Finally, add in the cream of tartar and beat well to incorporate.
- The meringue mix should form stiff peaks when a spatula is passed through the mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe small teaspoon sized rounds onto a baking tray lined with grease proof paper. A star shape or round shape piping nozzle work great for piping the meringues.
- Alternatively, a spoon may be used to place heaped teaspoon sized blobs instead of piping out the meringue mixture.
- Bake the meringue at 120 °C for 2 hours.
- Remove the meringues from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cool, meringues should be stored in an air tight container until needed.
- Meringues will keep for several days in an air tight container stored in a cool dry place. Humidity may affect the meringues.
These cute little meringues are the perfect bite sized treat. They come out with a great crunchy exterior, just a hint of softness on the inside, and it’s all balanced with the right amount of sweetness. However, they should probably come with a warning too. These meringues are incredibly mourish and it’s almost impossible to stop at just one.
Growing up this was one of my families recipes that would typically come out at birthday parties as they came around throughout the year. While some party foods you would know there would be leftovers for the next day, this is one of those dishes that never made it that far.
Preparing the Meringue Batter
Start with the crucial part to the mix first – the egg whites. The recipe works best when the eggs are at room temperature. You will only need the egg whites, and so you will need to separate out the yolks. I like to use an egg separator but use whatever technique you know that works best for you. The important really is to ensure you get no egg yolk into the egg white mix. If you do your egg whites won’t ever whip properly into the texture we are wanting (and you will need to start over).
Take your stand mixer and fit it with a balloon whisk attachment. Add in your egg whites and turn the mixer to a high speed. The mixture will start to foam and will slowly thicken. At this stage, add in your castor sugar, one spoonful at a time. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add in the cream of tartar and beat for a further minute.
Note: You want to use a castor sugar for this as it’s much finer than the regular sugar and dissolves much better and more uniformly into the meringue mix. Also ensure there is no clumps in your sugar. Use a spoon to break apart any if you need to.
Alternatively, you can use a food processor to beat your egg whites, or a bowl, whisk and a lot of elbow grease. However you whip your egg whites, the key is to create a thick mixture that creates soft peaks when you run a spatula through it. If peaks don’t form, you probably haven’t whisked the mixture enough.
Tip: Don’t waste the unused egg yolks. Egg yolks are great for making mayonnaise, custard and many other things in the kitchen.
Piping the Meringues
Piping out the meringues is the bit I find most fun. Start by taking your meringue mixture and spoon it into your piping bag. Twist the bag shut ready to pipe.Line a baking tray with some baking paper and then pipe out small meringues in lines across the tray. You can use a simple round nozzle or try a star-shaped nozzle for something a bit more decorative.
Tip: Roll up then opening to the piping bag before you add in the meringue mixture to reduce mess when piping (it helps keep the opening clean when you twist it shut).
If you have never piped before, it’s actually not as hard as people make it out to be. Your piping skills doesn’t have to be perfect to make great looking meringues, and there are plenty of videos out on the internet that can help teach you to pipe. Alternatively, you can also use a couple of teaspoons to place spoonful’s of mixture onto the tray instead of piping out the mixture.
Baking the Meringues
Meringues need to be baked on low and slow. It does require a bit of patience but the wait is definitely worth it. I use a slow oven and bake them for approximately 2 hours. It does seem long but its the low and slow that gives these meringues there amazing texture and flavor.
If I’m not needing the oven straight after, I will often turn off the oven at about 1 hour 45 minutes into the cooking and then letting the oven cool with the meringues sitting inside. Once the meringues are cooked you can remove them to a baking rack to cool completely. Meringues do need to be stored in an airtight container. Humidity is not your friend here. In humid conditions you might find the meringues go a bit sticky. Some people find the chewy and sticky meringues alright, but the crispy exterior is my personal favourite.
Serve the meringues on their own, or with berries and cream, or whatever other combination you desire. They also make for an incredible Eton mess (recipe to come). If you have kids at home, hide them up high or sneak a few away, or it’s almost certain there will be none left for you for later.
These are very moorish!