An easy recipe for perfect, crisp and fluffy meringues.
I’ve been thinking about sharing a meringue recipe on the blog for so long now. Meringue is brilliant to master and this recipe would be great to have in your baking repertoire.
Meringue seems like a very hard thing to make. There are a few things that can go wrong, but they’re honestly very easy to make if you follow this simple recipe and easy tips.
These meringue are the ultimate treat, I really love crumbling them into Eton mess, piped over lemon meringue pie or even scattered over my Eton Mess Cheesecake. They’re much lighter than a regular dessert and make a delicious addition to an afternoon tea spread. Just thinking about munching on a crunchy sweet meringue is my idea of bliss!
Before I started food blogging, I used to make meringue all the time for family dinners or when I had friends coming over. I would love baking pavlovas or whipping up a quick Eton mess if the meringue went wrong, which was usually the case!
I really love to pipe my meringue, they look delicate and pretty and I love the appearance. If you’re going for a more rustic look you can place dollops on the baking sheet. I love my meringue crunchy and crisp on the outside and soft and marshmallowy in the centre. This recipe makes sure you get both those qualities!
Once you’ve mastered making your own meringue, then you can let your imagination run wild. They’re delicious eaten just as they are or with berries and cream, but I do also love sandwiching the meringue together with Nutella, you could even drizzle over chocolate for extra decadence.
To make perfect meringue, I have listed lots of helpful tips below for successful baking.
Top Tips:
- Use room temperature eggs. If you store you eggs in the refrigerator, make sure you leave the separated egg whites in a bowl and leave them to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to making the meringue. It is easier to separate cold eggs.
- Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are completely clean and free of any grease. I wipe a slice of lemon around my mixing bowl and the whisk to clean. If your bowl and utensils contain grease, this may prevent the egg whites from whisking properly and reaching full volume.
- Always use superfine sugar – such as caster sugar. Add the sugar gradually to the whisked egg whites. Approx. 1 dessertspoon at a time. Adding the sugar slowly will enable it to incorporate better and give you a smoother and non grainy meringue. But don’t add the sugar too slowly as you may risk over beating the mixture.
- Always line your baking sheets/trays with non-stick paper. This will stop the meringue from sticking to the baking sheet.
- If the edges of the paper won’t stick, glue them down with a little meringue.
- It’s optional to add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar in this recipe. I highly recommend it, as the cream of tartar will help stabilize the meringue and encourage it to hold its shape and peaks when piped. It also gives the meringue that amazing marshmallowy inside.
- In conventional ovens it is best to bake the meringue as near to the bottom of the oven as you can. For fan assisted you can bake on any shelf.
- Leave the meringue in the oven after the baking time, this enables the meringue to dry out. I leave mine in the oven overnight for best results.
(Makes approx. 25-30 small meringues depending on their size)
Ingredients:
4 large eggs whites, at room temperature
220g (1 cup) caster sugar or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or a pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat oven to 120°C. Line 1-2 baking sheets with non-stick paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- Place the room temperature egg whites along with the cream of tartar or salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the sugar a dessertspoon at a time, sprinkle into the egg whites. Once you’ve gradually added all the sugar, continue whisking for another 2-3 minutes or until the meringue is thick and glossy, and holds stiff peaks. This make take longer, depending on your mixer.
- Fill a large disposable piping bag fitted with your favourite piping nozzle. Pipe a small amount of the meringue onto the underside of each corner of the baking sheet – this will hold the paper down, so it doesn’t touch the meringue whilst it cooks. If you’re using silicone mats, like I did you will not need to do this.
- Pipe swirls of the meringue onto the baking sheets, make sure they are spread apart a little. You can also take 2 tablespoons of the meringue and place dollops on the baking sheet. This recipe made approx. 25-30 meringues.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 90°C. Place the trays of meringue as close to the bottom of your oven. Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours or until the meringues are crisp and when the bottom is tapped, it sounds hollow – don’t hesitate to put the meringue back into the oven until it sounds hollow, all ovens are different so cooking time may differ slightly.
- Once they’re ready, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven to cool with the door closed for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Once the meringues are cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
Recipe from Taste
Why not add the meringue to whipped cream and strawberries to make Eton Mess!
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