Easy Meringue Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which meringue is easiest? ›

French (Simple) Meringue

This is the most common and easiest to make of the meringues and is known as an 'uncooked' meringue. Egg whites are whisked until soft peaks form. The sugar is then gradually whisked in, a large spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated and it has dissolved.

If you need a cream of tartar substitute for meringue, lemon juice is your best choice. Recommendations vary on the exact ratio to use, but in general, you'll need 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for each ½ teaspoon of the cream of tartar. This cream of tartar alternative is also perfect in syrups or frosting recipes.

The bottom line: For smooth, stiff beaten egg whites that keep their shape, don't skip the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, substituting 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white works almost as well. To avoid meringues that weep, don't skip the cream of tartar...

There are several types of meringue, with the three most common being French, Swiss and Italian. Each type varies based on preparation, texture and stability. Knowing the difference between the meringues will help you understand when to use each recipe in your baking.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is an excellent way to foolproof your meringue. Use it to create added fluff and keep your hard-won volume from shrinking. Cream of Tartar: Often added in when making meringues, acidic cream of tartar provides lift and stabilization.

Even though they're similar in colour, consistency and packaging, baking soda and cream of tartar are totally different ingredients. Baking soda is alkaline and commonly used in recipes that mix moisture plus an acidic ingredient (such as lemon juice, chocolate, buttermilk or honey) together to make batter rise.

For best results, substitute an equal amount of lemon juice for the cream of tartar in your recipe. In recipes that use cream of tartar to stabilize egg whites or prevent crystallization, you can use an equal amount of lemon juice instead.

A: While both baking soda and cream of tartar are leavening agents, they serve different purposes and cannot be used as direct substitutes for each other.

Why do you put vinegar in meringue? ›

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.

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.

Keep in mind that more cream of tartar doesn't necessarily mean a better, more stable result. “Too much cream of tartar will impart a metallic, tin-like taste,” Molly warns.

What is a Good Cream of Tartar Substitute when Making Meringues? You can substitute lemon juice for cream of tartar when making meringues. The substitution ratio is 1:2 — for your recipe's measurement of cream of tartar, use double that amount of lemon juice.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

Some people prefer Italian when making larger batches because it saves you from having to whisk a huge bowl over a water bath to heat the egg whites. I personally don't mind that, and Swiss meringue also cools faster so I'm able to have a finished buttercream faster.

French meringue has a delicate and airy texture, making it perfect for meringue cookies and pavlovas. Although it's the least stable of the three types of meringue, it's also the easiest to make, so it's a great option for beginners.

Italian meringue is very similar to Swiss, but instead of being cooked with sugar, a sugar syrup is made separately and added to whipped egg whites. Italian meringue is slightly more stable than Swiss, which I'll explain under the Italian meringue buttercream heading.

While it's not quite as stable as Italian meringue, Swiss meringue is smoother and denser than French meringue, making it perfect for pavlovas, buttercream frostings, and pies.