Finnish Meringue Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good meringue? ›

Don't overbeat egg whites. (Overbeaten egg whites will look hard, lumpy or dry). When whipping egg whites, always start your mixer on low medium-low to medium speed. Beat them until foamy and increase the speed to medium-high and then to high.

Meringues are not supposed to harden completely in the oven. While low heat will dry them out, meringues do not become hard and crisp until they have had a chance to cool for five or ten minutes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Moisture: Excess moisture, whether from high humidity during baking or improper storage after baking, can lead to a chewy texture. 3. Overmixing: Overmixing the egg whites can cause the proteins to break down, resulting in a denser, chewier texture rather than a light and airy consistency meringue.

Caster sugar is the usual option for meringues – the small grains dissolve easily in the foamy mixture.

Why put salt in meringue? ›

First, salt promotes the coagulation of proteins, which means you have to beat the egg whites longer to unwind the bunched up (coagulated) protein strands and stretch them into the thin films that encase air bubbles and create foam.

Chewy meringues are the result of two possible situations, under-baking and humidity. If they are under-baked they might always be a little chewy. For humidity, you can try popping the meringues back into the oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 200°F for 10 minutes to try crisping them up a bit.

TEXTURE OF MERINGUE COOKIES

I bake my Meringue Cookies for 1 hour, giving me perfectly crisp shells, with a deliciously fluffy and chewy centre. If you'd prefer more chewy cookies, bake them in a fan-forced oven. For fluffier centres, try a conventional oven.

White wine vinegar is quite common as it doesn't have a particularly intrusive taste, we feel that red wine vinegar and particularly balsamic vinegar are not ideal as they will start to affect the taste of the meringue.

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.

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.

I start on speed 2 of the KitchenAid (low speed) for about 30 seconds, then I increase to speed 4 (medium-low) and whip for another 2 minutes or so, and I finish whipping the meringue on speed 6 (medium) until done, which can take another 10 minutes or so.