When I made the lemon curd, I found myself with a lot of leftover egg whites. I thought, why not make Meyer Lemon Meringues? Out came the stand mixer and a few other ingredients and the next thing I knew I had these gorgeous Meyer Lemon Meringues.
Meyer Lemon Meringues
Ingredients: 3 ½ to 4 dozen or 7 to 8 dozen small Meringues
- 10 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat egg whites on high a bit and add the cream of tartar, salt, and extract. When whites begin to hold stiff peaks, gradually add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time until all the sugar is incorporated. Continue to beat on high until the meringue forms stiff glossy peaks
Prepare a pastry bag with a large plain tip or cut a ½ inch corner off a Ziploc freezer bag. Hold the bag vertically above the parchment and pipe the meringue to form a 2 to 2 ½ inch circle and lift to create a peak.
Bake the meringues until hard, about 3 to 4 hours. The meringues are ready when a meringue can be pulled away from the parchment cleanly. When that happens, turn off the oven, propping the door open a bit to allow the meringues to cool slowly for about an hour or so.
Variations: There are many flavorings you can add to a basic Meringues recipe (See below). Below are just a few suggestions.
- Basic Vanilla Meringues: Substitute vanilla for the lemon extract. Omit the lemon juice.
- Chocolate: Substitute vanilla for the lemon extract. Omit the lemon juice and zest. Sift and add three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to half the sugar in the first part of the recipe. (Note: add 2 to 2 ½ cups of mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolate punch.)
- Chocolate Chip: Substitute vanilla for the lemon extract. Omit the lemon juice and zest. Fold in 2 to 2 ½ cups of mini chocolate chips at the end.
- Nut Flavorings: Substitute any nut flavored extract of choice in place of the lemon. Omit the lemon juice and zest. Fold in 2 to 2 ½ cups coarsely chopped nuts of your choice.
- Fruit & Nuts: Add a fruit extract flavoring of choice in place of the lemon. Omit the lemon juice and zest. Fold in 2 to 2 ½ cups of a combination of coarsely chopped nuts and dried fruit of your choice.
- Various Colors: For any flavor of meringue, after adding approximately ¼ cup of the sugar, add a drop or two of food coloring of choice to reach the desired color.
- Pavlova Meringue Dessert: If you’re into something larger try making a Pavlova, which is made with a few large disks of vanilla meringue, stacked with a filling and whipped cream in between the layers, YUM!
Notes: The baking (or drying) time will vary according to the humidity that’s present. Start checking the meringues in about two hours and continue to bake as needed. There have been times I’ve not propped open the oven. I just turned it off oven to cool the meringues down slowly adding a bit more drying time; either approach will work. It all gets down to if the meringues can be pulled away from the parchment cleanly.
If you prefer small meringues, use a smaller tip and reduce the baking time as necessary; half the size means about half the time. Another way to place the meringues on the baking sheet is to use a cookie scoop to achieve rustic looking meringues.
The fun thing about making meringues is you can make them in many shapes and sizes. Just be aware of the cooking time the different sizes may require when you do.
These Meyer Lemon Meringues truly are easy peasy. The only thing to keep in mind is the time they take to cook, dry and cool. Now you have a low-calorie fun treat to munch on from time to time. Of course, they can make a great gift from your kitchen as well. All you need is to package them in a lovely box with a bit of cellophane and ribbon, and you have an extra special gift to share.
Time to eat…
If you enjoyed my “Meyer Lemon Meringues,” check out my Homemade Oreo Cookies, Birds Nest & Flower Easter Cookies, or my Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. Enjoy.
P.S. Take a moment to check out and purchase some of the tools I used for this “Meyer Lemon Meringues” below. 🙂