Cloud-shaped meringues offer a simple path to French royalty
Light, crispy, cloud-shaped meringue cookies have long been associated with French royalty, a decadent treat that required skill and dedication to pull off. Maybe once, but then the whisk was invented.
For those with a stand mixer, they’re surprisingly easy and adaptable to any extra bits of chocolate, nuts, or other flavors that might be left behind after a holiday baking marathon.
In this recipe from our “Cook What You Have” book, which draws on pantry staples for easy weeknight meals, we offer three variations of the cookie (which wasn’t French, by the way, but is attributed to a Swiss chef named Gasparini in 1720, from a town called Meiringen.)
For a salty peanut and chocolate variation, you’ll need about 2 ounces of chopped chocolate, some orange zest, and a handful of toasted walnuts. Or try them with toasted cashews, unsweetened coconut flakes, and lime zest. Or with pistachios, candied ginger and turmeric. Or experiment with different flavors using these ratios.
The meringues can be made into a dozen 3-inch cookies or six oversized 6-inch puffs. Serve plain or open and fill with whipped cream and sprinkled with fresh berries. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.
Meringue Cookies with Salted Peanuts and Chocolate
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/meringue-cookies-with-salted-peanuts-and-chocolate
Start to finish: 2½ hours (35 minutes active), plus cool down
Makes 12 small or 6 large meringues
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts OR almonds OR cashews OR pistachios, chopped
⅓ cup dark OR semisweet chocolate OR milk chocolate chips, chopped
6 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
Heat oven to 250°F with rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a small bowl, mix together the nuts and chocolate.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt over medium heat until foamy and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar. Add the vanilla, then increase to high and beat for 5 minutes (not less, or the meringues may droop slightly during cooking); the whites will be thick, shiny, and have stiff peaks. Remove bowl from mixer. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the orange zest and half of the walnut-chocolate mixture.
Place meringue in mounds on prepared baking sheet, dividing into 12 portions, about ½ cup each, or 6 portions, about 1 cup each; space mounds evenly. Lightly smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate pecan mixture.
Bake for 1¼ hours for small meringues or 1½ hours for large meringues; they will be a very pale golden brown and will have expanded slightly. Turn off the oven, open the door with the handle of a wooden spoon, and allow the meringues to dry completely and crisp, about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer the meringues from the baking sheet to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.
Meringue cookies with cashews, coconut and lime
Follow the recipe, use salted roasted cashews, replace the chocolate chips with ¼ cup dry, unsweetened, wide-flake coconut, and substitute the orange zest with the same amount of lime zest.
Golden Meringue Cookies with Pistachios and Candied Ginger
Follow the recipe, use salted roasted pistachios, replace the chocolate chips with ¼ cup chopped candied ginger, and add 1 teaspoon ground turmeric and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the egg whites along with the cream of tartar and salt.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, visit Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap