Meringue Cookies should be called Cloud Cookies. They are so delicate and dainty, and they are seemingly light as clouds. If I could eat a cumulonimbus cloud (which are the huge clouds with pillowy mounds of fluff that pile up on all sides), sprinkled with a fair amount of soft sugar, this is what my imagination would like to believe it is going to taste like (obviously it would probably just taste like dirty water mixed with sugar, but that takes the fun out of imagining =).
If meringue cookies are a cookie that you haven’t made or tried in the past, I’d say now is the perfect opportunity. Thanks to this recipe and video tutorial (which I’d recommend watching before you go to make these cookies, it will just cut out any guessing and it’s really straight forward), I was able to spend just a few minutes and watch how to prepare meringues swirled with gorgeous and vibrant colors. It really is such an inventive idea and I love how there are so many different flavors and colors you could choose for these cookies. You can use zest of citrus fruits or you can use extracts, which opens up a world of opportunity. Meringues don’t have to simply be just meringues anymore, they can have a exciting little zip to them with the help of a little color and flavor. I can’t wait to try these in many more different flavors. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp strawberry extract
- red and maroon gel paste food coloring*
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl which pairs with an electric stand mixer, and set bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk mixture constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Mix in salt and cream of tartar.
- Transfer bowl to electric stand mixer, add in strawberry extract and whip mixture on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture has nearly cooled, about 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, using a small paintbrush, paint 3 vertical stripes of the gel food coloring (spaced fairly evenly apart) along the inside of a large pastry bag fit with a 1/2-inch round tip. Fill pastry bag with meringue mixture (being careful not to smudge coloring with spatula while filling) and pipe 1 3/4-inch circles onto Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until meringues are dry to the touch, while crisp on the outside and tender and soft on the inside (if you live in fairly humid climate or if you prefer them to be dry throughout you may want to bake them up to 20 minutes longer). Allow to cool and transfer to an airtight container.
- *I did about 3 parts red to 2 parts maroon and mixed with paintbrush in a small bowl. Next time around I'd probably do more maroon, probably just 1:1 so they don't seem to look peppermint-y.
- Recipe Source: adapted from Martha Stewart
Sweet Tooth: The technique you used to make the colored swirl on the meringue cookies is so neat. I never would have thought of doing that!
xx
Sweet Tooth
http://www.thesweettoothbaker.com January 23, 2013 at 6:08am
Jaclyn: Isn’t is a cool technique – genius whomever came up with it =). Thanks for your comment! January 23, 2013 at 1:13pm
sally @ sallys baking addiction: The prettiest meringues I’ve ever seen, Jaclyn. The swirls are outstanding! How could you not love something this gorgeous? So wonderful for Valentine’s day or even Christmas. Your gorgeous photography always amazes me. :) January 23, 2013 at 7:36am
Jaclyn: Thanks so much Sally, that is so nice of you to say =)! January 23, 2013 at 1:12pm
Laura: These are absolutely, drop dead, gorgeous. How cute would they be to give your Valentine? :) January 23, 2013 at 12:28pm
Jaclyn: Thanks so much Laura! January 23, 2013 at 1:07pm
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious: Wow, these are just stunning! January 23, 2013 at 12:48pm
Jaclyn: Thanks so much Chung-Ah! January 23, 2013 at 1:07pm
angela @ another bite please: oh my gosh jaclyn these are beautiful…what a fancy sweet treat for valentines day…love January 23, 2013 at 4:58pm
Jaclyn: Thanks so much Angela! January 24, 2013 at 3:40pm
Lourdes: Where can I see the video tutorial??
Thank you. January 23, 2013 at 11:19pm
Jaclyn: Hi Lourdes ~ sorry I put at the bottom of the post but forgot to add the link in the post text. Here is the link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/899362/meringue-swirls and you will see the video on the lower left side. I hope you get a chance to make them soon =). January 24, 2013 at 10:30am
Erika: These are so cute. I might attempt to make some this weekend. It would be my first try at meringue cookies! January 28, 2013 at 3:12pm
Jaclyn: I hope you to attempt it and love them =). When I made meringue cookies the first time I was really surprised at how basic and simple they were yet so incredibly melt in my mouth good, and these really aren’t much harder because all you have to do is add a little color and whalah =). January 28, 2013 at 4:33pm
Erin: oh my goodness! These look soooooo good! and I seriously have egg whites in my fridge I was saving for meringues. Done. You made my day! January 29, 2013 at 8:11pm
Strawberries for Valentine's Day – Parkesdale Farm Market Blog | Parkesdale Farm Market Blog: [...] Strawberry Meringue Cookies [...] February 9, 2013 at 9:27am
caroluski: Made these there in the oven right now. They are
my first of 7 recipes I’m making for my husband,
mom, my 2 kids and their bf and gf for Valentines. I made them heart shaped and they look beautiful and so so easy to make too.
Thankyou. <3 February 12, 2013 at 12:52pm
Jaclyn: You are so welcome! You are amazing – 7 recipes! Lucky husband and fam you have =). Happy Valentines to you! February 12, 2013 at 11:16pm
Online Baby Products: Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me.
Regardless, I’m definitely happy I discovered it and I’ll
be bookmarking it and checking back often! March 22, 2013 at 1:51am
Jaclyn: Great to have you. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! March 23, 2013 at 9:13pm
30 Berry-licious Strawberry Cookies and Strawberry Cupcakes: [...] Strawberry Stained Glass Cookies by Sweet Explorations 4. Strawberry Meringue Cookies by Cooking [...] April 22, 2013 at 2:45am
Hart: Really? food dye and extract? June 16, 2013 at 3:13pm