Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 4 large egg whites (, room temperature)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fine granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 225 degrees F with the oven rack in the center position. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or two regular-sized cookie sheets, as long as they can both fit in your oven side by side.)
  • Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large, completely clean, dry, grease-free bowl.
  • Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment), beat on low speed until mixture becomes foamy. Then increase speed to high.
  • With mixer on high, slowly and gradually add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).
  • Beat until mixture is thick, glossy, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved (test by rubbing a small bit of the mixture between your fingers - it shouldn't feel gritty.)
  • Beat in vanilla extract.
  • Transfer meringue to a large disposable piping bag fitted with an open star tip (Ateco 846 is what I use.) Pipe 1x1-inch swirls onto the prepared cookie sheet. (The meringue cookies can be pretty close to each other as they won’t spread, and you will want to bake all of the cookies at the same time, so make sure you have enough space.)
  • Bake for 1 hour.
  • Turn off the heat, and do not open the oven door. Allow cookies to cool completely in the oven for 1-2 hours before removing. (The cookies should be light, crisp, completely dry, without any color around the edges, and be easily lifted off the parchment paper.)
  • Enjoy or store for later.
  • {TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MERINGUES: After adding in the vanilla, transfer half of the mixture to a piping back and beat in 4 teaspoons sifted cocoa powder to the remaining half, then transfer the chocolate mixture to a separate piping bag. Alternatively, you can make the entire batch chocolate by adding more sifted cocoa powder - about 3 tablespoons. Proceed with the rest of the written recipe. They cook the same. Watch the video for help, if needed.)