I love meringues because once you get the hang of it, they’re pretty easy to get right, and they can literally be whipped up pretty quickly (even though they take a while to finish).  For a dessert, they’re relatively low-calorie, they’re naturally gluten-free and people can eat lots of them.  You can’t say that about too many cookies, and definitely not for any desserts I make.    There is nothing wrong with a plain meringue but I find I like to add more vanilla than is traditional (1 tablespoon vs. 1-2 teaspoons) and other stuff, usually coffee flavor or syrup. For syrup I use Dave’s Coffee syrup, which is fantastic.  Again, you can flavor them however you like but remember; add the flavor after you have gotten some foaming in your mixer.  Don’t try without electric beaters or a stand mixer, your wrists will never be the same.   Lastly don’t forget to add the salt!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 4-5  large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Optional (not all together)
    • 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
    • 1 tablespoon of Dave’s Coffee Syrup
    • 1/8 tsp Butterscotch extract
    • Sprinkles/sanding sugar

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper
  2. Separate your egg whites from yolks and set aside.  Legend has it if you get any yolk in your whites they will not become stiff peaks.
  3. Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites for about 60 seconds, then add your cream of tartar.  Continue to mix and slowly add your sugar and salt.  When you have added all the sugar, continue to mix and slowly add other ingredients like vanilla, coffee syrup or butterscotch extract.
  4. Keep beating until soft peaks form and continue to beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
  5. Use a piping bag (this picture is of a straight tube, but Pipe the meringues onto the pans using a pastry bag and star tip. Alternatively, drop meringues by large teaspoonfuls onto the pans.
  6. Bake the meringues for 1 hour, then turn off the oven /heat and allow the meringues another hour in the stove.  Tase for desired crispiness.

 

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Published by Robert Deutsch

Digital Impresario, content strategist, mobile developer, marketing wunderkind, team leader, SEO adherent, baker, PTA president.