Meringue Cookies

Whenever I ask my friend Carol if she's been reading the blog she gives one of two answers, neither of which is a yes or a no. The first is, "send me the link again, I keep forgetting how to find it," and the second is, "when are you going to make meringues?" If Carol isn't reading the blog, then how does she know I haven't made meringues yet? It's a mystery I have yet to solve. But I'm working on it.

I asked Carol why she likes Meringues so much and she waxed poetically about the thin, crisp outer layer surrounding the soft, sweet inside. She went on about them for so long, she reminded me of Proust pontificating about Madelines.

So, this past weekend, I decided to give in and try my hand at Meringues. Mother nature, however, had a different idea. Sunday turned out to be hot and very humid. My heart sank as I looked at the first words of the recipe which warned to not make these on a humid day. So, I didn't even try. Besides, I needed to get outside and feel the fresh summer air that magically appeared after a rather cool, wet workweek.

Here's the recipe I would have made, had the humidity levels been anywhere near normal for this time of year.

And I still don't know if Carol is reading my blog.

Meringue Cookies

4 large egg whites, room temp.
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and increase speed to medium-high, and, watching carefully, beat the egg whites until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in half the sugar and continue to beat until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting, sprinkle in the remaining sugar and mix until just incorporated.

Using two soup spoons, place dollops of meringue, 2 tablespoons each (about the size of a walnut) 1 inch apart, fitting 3 rows of 5 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cookies have smooth, firm, dry exteriors. Turn off the oven and allow cookies to cool for several hours. Once cool, store the cookies in an airtight container. Cookies keep for up to two weeks.

Variation: Almond Meringues

Finely grind 1 cup toasted almonds and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor, about ten, one second pulses. Set aside. Add the first half of the sugar only to the whites as directed. Sprinkle the almond mixture over the whites and mix on low speed. Shape and bake according to the instructions above.

This recipe is from Baking Illustrated, by Cook's Illustrated. It's one of my favorite baking books ever.

Flash forward one week...

The weather is changeable this time of year so I was able to make meringues after all. Saturday was windy and cool, with much lower humidity levels. Not two minutes after the baking time of 1 1/2 hours, the power went out due to the incredibly high winds. Mother nature was at it again but thankfully she missed her opportunity to mess with my cookies. Whew.

My almond meringues turned out flat-ish, but are delicious nonetheless. I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong, maybe I didn't whip my egg whites enough, or perhaps I didn't work quickly enough when spooning them onto the baking sheet. I will definitely be making these again soon and this time will strive to make picture perfect meringue cookies.