Almond Meringues
I haven't had a meringue cookie in a long time. Like a REALLY long time. So I decided two things this morning: I was going to make meringues. They will be pink.
And so, that is how I made these misleading almond (not strawberry) meringue cookies.
There are two different types of meringue; the soft meringue, and hard meringue. In a meringue, there are always at least two ingredients: egg whites and sugar. Aged egg whites are best, because they've lost most of their elasticity, so the meringue will be thick and glossy. Caster sugar, confectioner's sugar, and granulated sugar are normally used to make a meringue. The amount of sugar for a hard meringue is 1/4 per egg, and for a soft meringue, about 2 tablespoons. Soft meringue is normally not meant to be baked until it's crispy, and is normally found on pies like key lime and lemon meringue. On humid days, a meringue shouldn't really be made because it won't whip stiffly.
But who wants to follow that rule, anyway? Adding cream of tartar, lemon juice, meringue powder, or powered egg whites will help the egg whites stiffen on wet, hot days.
Some days, a meringue just won't whip. I have had to endure these times much more than just once, occasionally getting emotional. Don't blame yourself for this hardship. French baking is just really super confusing and hard in general. If you search images of macarons, I assure you there will be many different varieties of these cookies. Some will look impossibly smooth, and some will just look like lumpy oatmeal cookies. I could write a book about every image on the internet of a macaron, from how they sifted the sugar to the percent of butter in the buttercream.
Meringues aren't nearly as tricky as macarons. A meringue is simply egg whites (aged a few days) and sugar. As long as you add the sugar correctly, you will have the easiest, yummiest dessert at your party (or whatever).
The temperature of the oven for any cookie with meringue will likely be very low. By low I mean in the 200s. This is because egg whites are very picky. For these almond meringues, it took 2 hours. For a conventional oven it should take less time than a gas oven. A gas oven would've guaranteed 2 1/2 hours. It's infuriating. Sometimes I just take them out of the oven just before they're done so I can eat them earlier. As you've most likely assumed I am impatient when it comes to ovens. See the shiny, dark pinkish stuff on the bottom of that meringue up there? That's the sugar. (Yes, I took them out too early, but I had to be at a party. So there). Don't let that happen to you. It's annoying to have to pick off all those lil pieces of hardened pink sugar. You can avoid this by using granulated/caster sugar instead of, or with, powdered sugar.
But no matter how long it takes to make these guys, it's worth it.
Here's the recipe for my almond meringues:
4 large egg whites, aged
2 cups & 2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1.Set the oven to 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (never use oil, butter, or a nonstick pan).
3. Whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer in a clean metal bowl.
4. When the egg whites get white and foamy but no bubbles appear, add a small spoonful of powered sugar. After it's just mixed in, add another spoonful. Repeat this process until you run out of powdered sugar
5. When the egg whites are almost whipped, add the caster sugar gradually while constantly mixing.
6. The meringue will be done when it appears thick and glossy, with stiff peaks.
7. Spoon a heaping tablespoons of batter onto the parchment, making each cookie 1 1/2 inches apart. You can also pipe out the cookies with a star tip, for a more classic meringue cookie.
8. Bake with the oven door slightly ajar for 3 hours, or until crispy on the inside. The cookie should have the same color throughout. A good way to check if they're done is to tap the bottom, and if it sounds hollow and crisp, it's done.
9. You can either serve them the way they are, or put filling* on the flat side of one cookie, and sandwich together with another on top.
*Common fillings are ganache, whipped cream, and buttercream.
