By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 20 minutes, plus 1 hour’s cooling
- Rating
- 5(450)
- Notes
- Read community notes
With only a little practice you’ll produce lovely little mounds of meringue with curls like chocolate kisses on top. And when you grow tired of pale white ones, add a couple of drops of food coloring, or follow the recipe modification for cocoa-flavored meringues.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 2 dozen.
- 2egg whites, at room temperature
- 2pinches cream of tartar
- ⅛teaspoon salt
- ½vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod; or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½cup superfine sugar.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
17 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 15 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and vanilla. When whites begin to hold stiff peaks, gradually add half the sugar. When peaks become glossy, gently fold in remaining sugar.
Step
2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and use a pastry bag with a star tip or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut out to form small mounds of meringue mixture, each about an inch wide and tall.
Step
3
Bake meringues until hard, about 2 hours. Meringues are ready when they release from parchment paper. Turn oven off, prop door open and allow meringues to sit in oven for another hour or so.
Ratings
5
out of 5
450
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Cooking Notes
gwenstew
I was wondering the same thing! Here's what I found:
For chocolate meringues: Omit vanilla and sift 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder with half the sugar. Add to egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Continue with Step 1.
For pink vanilla meringues: After adding the first 1/4 cup sugar, add a drop or two of pink or red food coloring to mixture. Continue with Step 1.
(Source: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3DE133BF934A25751C1A...
Kristen
I made these and they were wonderful! I added some lavender syrup to one batch and some rose syrup (both Monin brand) to another and they were fantastic! I had to add a little food coloring as well, so I could differentiate between the lavender, rose, and vanilla meringues. I will be making these again very soon. They are definitely kid and adult approved! Great recipe!
Lesley Simpson
Easy! I mixed cocoa with espresso powder to make a mocha variation
Bernice Glenn
Where is the modification for the chocolate meringues?
sophie
I added powder cardamom and served them with wine poached pears with ginger and star anis. All the spic s worked really well togethet
MELE
easy, yummy, adaptable. I did almond extract & almond slivers under the meringues.
Lynn Eve
I added green food coloring and piped them into little Christmas trees, adding some blue, white, and green nonpareil sprinkles before putting in the oven. They served as a little topper to Melissa Clark's pot de creme recipe - the effect was charming for a Christmas dessert.
Liz
For chocolate meringues: Omit vanilla and sift 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder with half the sugar. Add to egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Continue with Step 1.
karin
This is a great recipe. I usually bake mine for 1.5 hours, and then turn the oven off, but leave the door closed overnight. In the morning, the meringues are wonderfully dried out and they keep for at least a few days in an airtight container. I like using almond extract instead of (or in addition to) the vanilla -- makes a nice round taste.
josee
I just made this. I had three egg whites from my hens, leftover after making bread pudding. I added one teaspoon of rose extract, and one drop of red food coloring to get a very light pink color. Those meringues are absolutely gorgeous, delicious, and super easy to make. Next time it’ll be lavender!!
courtney
Tip for non-US readers...200 Fahrenheit, *not* 200 Celsius...I definitely should have thought more clearly, but also usually helpful for recipes to make it clear. Sadly very burnt meringues...!
E
If you make as written, and sift cocoa over them just before serving, you get a charming look and a chocolatey taste. No need to mix cocoa in.
Surrena
Why was the mix in step 1 watery? I don’t think I did anything wrong.
birdpants
I don’t have superfine sugar. Which would be a better substitute—regular granulated, or powdered?
Maple
Adding food dye or using different piping patterns makes them so cute!!!
Sheila
I doubled the recipe (had 4 whites to use up), added 2 heaping T of cocoa, and 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder. I cut the sugar to 75%, and they were still too sweet. Next time I will try with 50% sugar. (FYI, my piping bag had seen better days and I didn't have a ziplock, so I dropped them with teaspoons - worked just fine.)
HSK
How much is a “pinch”?!
michelle
2/3/22 - 1/8tsp peppermint extract in place of vanilla
E
Note that regular table sugar can be used if added more gradually than the described superfine sugar. Also, rather than making them chocolate, the vanilla ones can be sprinkled with unsweetened cocoa (strained to eliminate lumps).
Crisp, Airy, Perfect Meringues
It took me a few batches to get these exactly right, but using superfine baker’s sugar and adding it very slowly was a game-changer. I also prefer to use a hand mixer for these so I can really feel and see the texture as it changes. I kept mine plain vanilla and topped them with sprinkles prior to baking, and it worked best to bake for the prescribed two hours, then turn the oven off and leave the meringues overnight to dry completely. They’re perfect!
Rachel
I never have cream of tartar on hand. FYI, you can substitute a bit of lemon juice (approx. 1/4 tsp per egg white).
Megan T.
This was my first batch of meringues EVER and they turned out FANTASTIC! I did one batch exactly as written (though I didn’t have superfine sugar) and they came out beautiful, even though I experimented with different shapes and sizes. I did a second batch with some cocoa powder and they were even better! I don’t think I’ve ever felt this confident after trying a brand new recipe.
Molly
These were really wonderful! One thing I would say is if you can use vanilla bean over vanilla extract :)
Jonathan
Made these last night using aquafaba to make them vegan and they turned out beautiful except for.... the taste (no jokes please). Has anyone experience with this substitution? Maybe more sugar? More vanilla? Both? Any thoughts welcome.
Jeanette from Delaware
I have only tried making Aquafina once, but Idid read that the type of bean you get your juice from affects the final taste , as well as salted vs unsalted. White beans or chickpeas were preferred.
courtney
Tip for non-US readers...200 Fahrenheit, *not* 200 Celsius...I definitely should have thought more clearly, but also usually helpful for recipes to make it clear. Sadly very burnt meringues...!
Mary Ellen
Yes!!! I thought it was very hot, but hey, it's Mark Bittman! He must know something I don't! Thankfully, I noticed they were getting brown after only 5 minutes
Valentina
Mine do not release from the paper after 2 hours at 200. Why?
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