Meringues from five egg whites and icing sugar, piped and dried slowly in a very low oven. Just over an hour, almost all of it unattended. Makes about fifteen.
Beat the sugar in, do not fold it
The third step said to add the powdered sugar gradually, folding gently. That is what you do to flour in a sponge, and it is the opposite of what a meringue needs.
A meringue is air held in a protein structure. The sugar's job is to go into that structure and stabilise it, and it can only do that while the whisk is running: added with the whisk running, a spoonful at a time, it dissolves into the whites and makes them stiffer and glossier with every addition.
Folded in, it does two things wrong at once. It knocks the air out of whites that have just been whipped, and it never dissolves, so it sits as grains that weep syrup in the oven. What you pipe spreads across the tray instead of standing up.
Two peak stages
The recipe as written said to whisk the whites until you get a consistent mixture, which does not tell you anything. In a meringue the peak stage is the instruction.
First, before any sugar: whip the whites with the salt until they hold soft peaks. Lift the whisk and the meringue should stand up and then flop over at the tip.
Then, as the sugar goes in: keep whisking until it is stiff. Lift the whisk and the peak should stay standing without bending. The meringue will also look glossy rather than matte, and if you rub a little between your fingers it should feel smooth, not gritty.
Clean, dry, no yolk
Nothing else about egg whites matters as much as this and it is the commonest reason they refuse to whip.
Fat prevents whites forming a foam. A speck of yolk, a trace of butter left in the bowl, an oily whisk, and they will froth a little and then go no further no matter how long you beat them.
Separate each egg over a small cup rather than straight into the bowl, so one broken yolk does not ruin the other four. Wipe the bowl with a little vinegar or lemon juice on kitchen paper if you are unsure.
Dried, not baked
The oven goes to 100°C, which is as low as most will run, and they stay in for the best part of an hour.
That is not baking. Nothing browns and nothing rises; the water simply leaves and what remains is sugar and dried protein. This is why the temperature has to stay low: at anything higher they colour, crack and weep syrup.
Do not open the door in the first thirty minutes. A meringue that is still setting cracks when cold air hits it, and once it has cracked it stays cracked.
More sweet things
- Alfajores — the other biscuit tin staple.
- Chocolate bonbons — no oven.
- Passion fruit mousse — also built on whipped egg.
- Chocolate chip cookies — the everyday bake.
Meringue Kisses FAQ
The sugar was folded in rather than beaten in. Folding icing sugar into whipped whites knocks the air straight back out, and what you pipe has nothing holding it up.
With the whisk running, a spoonful at a time, letting each one disappear before the next goes in. Keep going until the meringue is stiff and glossy and holds a peak that stays upright.
Almost always a trace of yolk, or grease left in the bowl. Fat prevents the whites forming a foam at all. Everything has to be clean and completely dry, and it is worth separating each egg into a small cup first.
100°C, which is as low as most ovens go, for 50 to 60 minutes depending on size. They are dried out rather than baked.
They lift cleanly off the paper and sound hollow when you tap the underside. If they stick, they need longer.
A draught of cold air on a setting meringue cracks it. Leave the door shut for the first 30 minutes at least.
Humidity. Meringue draws water out of the air, which is why they should be kept in a sealed tin and never in the fridge.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 egg whites (at room temperature, with no trace of yolk)
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Food coloring or baking dye
- Candy sprinkles for decoration (as desired)
Notas
- The sugar goes in while the whisk is running, a spoonful at a time. Folding it in instead knocks the air out of the whites and the piped shapes spread flat on the tray.
- Everything has to be clean and dry. A trace of yolk, or grease left in the bowl, and the whites will not whip at all.
- Keep the oven at its lowest setting and do not open the door in the first 30 minutes. These are not baked so much as dried out, and a sudden draught of cold air cracks them.
- If they go sticky after a day, it is humidity. Keep them in a sealed tin, never in the fridge.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 100°C (212°F) and line a tray with cupcake liners or parchment paper.
- Put the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl with the salt and whisk until they hold soft peaks: the mixture should stand up and then flop over at the tip.
- Keep whisking and add the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time, letting each one go in before adding the next, until the meringue is stiff, glossy and holds a peak that stays upright. Then whisk in the vanilla, and a few drops of food colouring if you are using it.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a wide nozzle and pipe dollops onto the lined tray. Scatter sprinkles or sugar over them.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes depending on size. They are done when they lift cleanly off the paper and sound hollow underneath.
- Let them cool completely before moving them.
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