Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What must be avoided when making meringue? ›

Meringues can have a softer centre, depending on time/temperature of baking/drying (moisture retention = softer centre), but they won't be chewy. Chewy meringues, or pavlovas, have cornflour and vinegar added, which helps create that chewy centre.

You can't overbeat meringue: It's true! You can't ruin it by mixing too much, so once all of the sugar is added, be sure that your meringue is glossy and that you have super firm, stiff peaks when you remove the beater from the mixer. Don't be afraid to mix a little longer if it appears too soft.

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.

The size and shape makes ovomucin great at thickening egg whites and in turn plays a strong part in building stable meringue. lysozyme is a crucial protein/enzyme because it plays a key role in protecting the egg white from harmful bacteria.

Fat residue in your mixing bowl or on the beaters of your mixer is the mortal enemy of meringue. Fat will impair the egg white's ability to be whipped into stiff, glossy peaks. You can prevent this disappointment with one teaspoon of white vinegar.

Beat a mixture of thickened cornstarch and water into the egg whites to bind and stabilize the liquid in the meringue (and keep it from seeping out).

Whip for about 10 minutes, checking once the meringue looks thick and glossy. Add the vanilla and salt after about 7 minutes, while the mixer is on. To check it, remove the whisk and turn it upside down: does the meringue droop or hold its shape? Once it holds stiff it is done.

Place on the center rack to bake at 200 for about an hour then turn the oven off and keep closed for an additional 1-2 hours. The meringue cookies are done when they're are dried throughout. You'll be able to lift them off the baking sheet and they will feel very light and dry.

The more sugar added to a meringue mixture, the denser and smoother the final foam will be. Sugar inhibits the eggwhite protein from forming bonds around air pockets, so the more sugar you incorporate, the less airy the foam will be. Adding the sugar too late and/or too slowly.

Why is my meringue like marshmallows? ›

It doesn't have to be perfect, but if there are too many undissolved pieces of sugar, it means it's not fully dissolved into the protein layer of the egg whites. When this happens, your meringues won't come out crisp and they might seep liquid during baking as the sugar melts out of the meringue.

Thanks to the modern mixer, meringue making is a lot easier and older eggs aren't necessary. In fact, older eggs create a less stable foam because the liquid drains more easily from the bubbles. As a general rule of thumb, if stability is more important than volume, use fresher eggs.

cream of tartar is your meringue “MVP”!

A good rule of thumb is to add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar for every 2 egg whites, and add it just before you add your sugar!

Over-beating

After the stiff peak stage, egg whites will start to look grainy and dull. They will eventually collapse back on themselves. Whipped cream will also get grainy and will start to separate into fat and liquid.

Turn on the mixer to medium speed and beat until soft peaks form, then beat on high until stiff peaks form. You've hit stiff peak egg white stage when you have glossy peaks that stand straight.

The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.

Let's start with the basics; in its most basic form, meringue itself is whipped egg whites and sugar. The sugar is either added slowly (french) or all at once and heated (swiss). In both cases air is whipped into the mix to turn it 8x times the initial volume.

Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.