Meringue Cookies: the basic recipe to make delicious and crumbly desserts

Meringue cookies are delicious desserts with a light and crumbly consistency. It is a basic recipe of classic pastry that is made with only two ingredients, that are egg whites and sugar. In our recipe we will follow the French method which differs from the Italian one in the way the egg whites are whipped: in the first one, in fact, the egg whites are processed directly in the planetary mixer, skipping the pasteurization step with a syrup of water and granulated sugar. White and delicious, the meringues can be enjoyed with a good cup of coffee or crumbled in a cup of hot chocolate, but they are also used to create elegant decorations for cakes and semifreddo. So let’s find out how to make the perfect meringue cookies by following our recipe step by step.

How to make Meringues Cookies

Collect the egg whites in a perfectly clean bowl and start frothing them with the electric whisk (1).

Gradually pour in the granulated sugar (2) and continue to beat the egg whites for at least 10 minutes.

When the egg whites are firm and solid, add the sifted powdered sugar a little at a time (3).

Mix gently with a spatula, with movements from the bottom upwards, to avoid breaking the mixture (4).

Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag (5).

Spread a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and form uniform tufts well spaced from each other (6). Bake the meringues at 90-100 degrees C and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After this time, insert a wooden spoon in the oven, so that an air gap remains, and continue cooking for another hour.

When your meringue cookies are crisp and dry, turn off the oven and let them rest for a few hours, even better overnight. Serve and enjoy (7).

How to store Meringue Cookies

You can store the meringue cookies for about 15 days at room temperature, inside a tin box or a special glass container.