Sweet swirls of sweet, melt in your mouth, crisp meringue, in the shape of beautiful roses. These are perfect for Mother's Day or any spring celebration. Best of all they have no flour, egg yolk or butter like most cookies, making them naturally gluten-free, fat-free and guilt-free!
These meringue cookies are like a cloud of sweet, airy crunch that dissolve in your mouth and they couldn't be easier to make. They are made mainly of whipped egg whites and sugar, making them ultra light, crisp and airy.
This is a pretty simple recipe with only a few ingredients. It can easily be doubled, too! It starts with some egg whites and sugar. (If you need some ideas on what to do with the yolks, try my small-batch chocolate chip cookies, or my lemon meringue pies, or my fresh fruit tart with homemade pastry cream filling!)
A trick I use is to separate eggs when cold, right out of the fridge, and let whites sit for about 30 min. to bring them to room temperature so they can puff up as much as possible. Make sure there is NO egg yolk in your egg whites and no grease or water on your beaters or in the bowl, none at all, or your egg whites will not whip up properly. Here is my video: How To Separate Egg Yolks From Egg Whites (4 ways) to help you out.
A trick I use is to separate eggs when cold, right out of the fridge, and let whites sit for about 30 min. to bring them to room temperature so they can puff up as much as possible. Make sure there is NO egg yolk in your egg whites and no grease or water on your beaters or in the bowl, none at all, or your egg whites will not whip up properly. Here is my video: How To Separate Egg Yolks From Egg Whites (4 ways) to help you out.
I like to make the meringues with superfine sugar, that I heat in the oven for a few minutes so it dissolves more easily. I flavored mine with a hint of vanilla, but you can get creative and use any flavor extract you like, like coconut, raspberry roses or make yellow roses flavored with lemon.
Yields: 16-24 meringues
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 superfine caster sugar (may sub 2/3 cup granulated sugar pulsed in a food processor)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- yellow food coloring for roses
- green food coloring from leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a glass or metal bowl, separate eggs and let whites sit for about 30 minutes to bring them to room temperature (it is easier to separate them when they are cold from the fridge). Make sure there is NO egg yolk in your egg whites and no grease or water on your beaters or in the bowl, as this will prevent the egg whites from whipping up. Meanwhile, pour sugar on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 200 degrees F.
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. Beat in cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks form (when you lift the whisk, the tips will fall over).
Set timer for 7 minutes and beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the 7 minutes is up and the meringue holds glossy, stiff peaks. You will know the meringue is ready when you lift the whisk and the tips stick straight up. You should be able to rub the mixture between your fingers and not feel any grit from the sugar. Beat in vanilla.
Set aside about 1/2 cup, to tint green with food coloring and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a leaf tip. Beat in yellow food coloring to remaining meringue, just until incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip.
Dab a dot of meringue on each corner of pan and press parchment paper on top to hold it down flat. Pipe rose swirls of meringue on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Pipe on leaves.
Bake the meringues for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 200 degrees F. The meringues are done when they are pale, crisp, and easily peel off the parchment paper. Turn the oven heat off, leaving the meringues in the oven to finish drying for a few hours or over night. Cover and store at room temperature for several days.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a glass or metal bowl, separate eggs and let whites sit for about 30 minutes to bring them to room temperature (it is easier to separate them when they are cold from the fridge). Make sure there is NO egg yolk in your egg whites and no grease or water on your beaters or in the bowl, as this will prevent the egg whites from whipping up. Meanwhile, pour sugar on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 200 degrees F.
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. Beat in cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks form (when you lift the whisk, the tips will fall over).
Set timer for 7 minutes and beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the 7 minutes is up and the meringue holds glossy, stiff peaks. You will know the meringue is ready when you lift the whisk and the tips stick straight up. You should be able to rub the mixture between your fingers and not feel any grit from the sugar. Beat in vanilla.
Set aside about 1/2 cup, to tint green with food coloring and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a leaf tip. Beat in yellow food coloring to remaining meringue, just until incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip.
Dab a dot of meringue on each corner of pan and press parchment paper on top to hold it down flat. Pipe rose swirls of meringue on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Pipe on leaves.
Bake the meringues for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 200 degrees F. The meringues are done when they are pale, crisp, and easily peel off the parchment paper. Turn the oven heat off, leaving the meringues in the oven to finish drying for a few hours or over night. Cover and store at room temperature for several days.
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More meringue recipes:
Faux "Soft Serve" Cone Meringue Cookies
Faux "Soft Serve" Cone Meringue Cookies
