Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

Why are my meringue cookies not hardening? ›

Meringues are not supposed to harden completely in the oven. While low heat will dry them out, meringues do not become hard and crisp until they have had a chance to cool for five or ten minutes.

Cream of tartar is an added safeguard; it gives more stability to that foam structure, therefore setting up your meringue for success. Cream of tartar helps these Cranberry-Lime Swirled Meringues retain their cloud-like texture.

Chewy meringues are the result of two possible situations, under-baking and humidity. If they are under-baked they might always be a little chewy. For humidity, you can try popping the meringues back into the oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 200°F for 10 minutes to try crisping them up a bit.

Acid. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue. Acid not only helps meringue whip up and aerate more quickly, it also keeps it stable. Without acid, meringue is more likely to collapse either during or after mixing.

In the case of the meringues, adding the sugar at the start of mixing produced a cookie that was dull on the exterior, with a too-fine crumb within. The cookies made when the sugar was added at the very end had an overly airy texture (tasters compared it to Styrofoam) and a grainy consistency.

You don't want to overmix the puree or push it deep into the meringue; you simply want to swirl some over the top portion. Place in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Turn off the oven, leaving the cookies inside until the oven and the cookies are totally cooled about another hour.

If making smaller meringues using a piping tip, the baking time could be closer to 2 hours. For larger meringue cookies, they might need to entire 3 hours to bake. You'll know they are done when they are completely dry on the inside and the outside.

A secret ingredient: corn starch

Corn starch is composed of long molecules that it is believed insert themselves between egg white proteins to prevent them from clotting too much while meringue is baking.

Recipe Notes

If you want, you can add some crème of tartar (an acidic powder) to the meringue to stabilize the mixture. Add icing sugar instead of caster sugar as it dissolves quickly and it will make the process a little easier. Incorporate the sugar slowly as you beat it through the meringue.

Do you grease baking paper for meringues? ›

Make sure your utensils and egg whites are free of any grease. Do not use parchment paper or a greased and floured baking sheet– the meringue will often stick to them.

As tempting as it is, try to avoid opening the oven until the very end of baking, or your baked meringue may crack. Use caution when using bulk egg whites in the carton, unless otherwise specified by a recipe or unless you need to use pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons.

If you have leftover meringues, you can store them at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If it's a warm or humid day, place your meringues in the fridge for 30 minutes first to make sure they're cool.

To keep meringues a bright white colour, you need to bake them at a low oven temperature. Usually this is around 95°C (200°F) but can range from 90° to 120°C depending on your oven (if it's fan assisted or not).

Beat to soft peaks on medium-high speed. Gradually add the sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Continue beating until glossy, stiff peaks form. At this point, you can't overbeat the meringue, so keep beating until you've got those glossy, firm peaks!

cornstarch/water mixture. If you are making two pies and using 6 or more egg whites, just double up and use 2 tbsp of cornstarch, 4 tbsps cold water and 1 cup boiling water, and follow same method."