Meringues are one of my favorite snacks and I can never get enough of them. When I was a kid, my Savtah used to make huge batches of these delicate little treats and keep them in a Cambro container in the closet. Why in the closet? Maybe so we would stay out of her way in the kitchen and we could sit by the closet snacking in the family room instead. Â Man, I seriously could eat her meringues all day long. Even now, as an adult, I’m still addicted to meringues but now I add a little more pizzazz to this simple mixture of egg whites and sugar. In the past, I’ve added fun fillings like pistachios, crushed peppermint and cocoa powder and now I’m having some fun with spices. I love gingerbread in the winter, wether it’s in cookie form or even as a coffee creamer flavor, so I took the spices that make up a gingerbread cookie and added them to the meringues. I even topped the meringues with a gingerbread spiced white chocolate drizzle. Yeah, these meringues are definitely a special winter treat. Good luck eating only one!
Gingerbread Meringues
makes 4 dozen
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg whites (3-4 eggs)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Spiced White Chocolate Drizzle
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
*Before beginning the meringue process, I want to give you a very important tip that my pastry chef sister so graciously taught me: meringues are always a 2:1 ratio. 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup egg whites. 2 cups sugar to 1 cup egg whites.
Okay, so now for the meringues…first thing I did was combine the spices for the meringues and set them aside. I preheated the oven to 215 degrees F. and lined two baking pans with parchment paper.
I combined the egg whites and cream of tartar in my stand mixer and whisked on medium for 1 minute, until they were beginning to bubble.
With the stand mixer still on medium speed, I slowly sprinkled in the sugar until it was all combined with the egg whites then raised the speed to medium-high and whisked until stiff peaks formed on the meringue, for around 8 minutes.
I sprinkled the spices into the meringue and whisked on high for 30 seconds, just until the spices were incorporated. Check out that beautiful shiny meringue!
I transferred the meringue to a large piping bag (you can also use a large Ziploc bag for this) with the 1M Wilton piping tip. You can use whatever tip you want but I think the 1M makes the meringues so pretty. I piped the meringue on to the parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each meringue. You can also dollop the meringue on to the baking sheets for a more rustic look.
When both baking sheets were full, I placed them in the oven and baked the meringues for 2 hours. I turned off the oven and let the meringues sit for another 2 hours in the oven.
When the meringues came out of the oven, I made the white chocolate drizzle. In a microwave safe bowl, I melted the chopped white chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave, stirred the chocolate then melted for another 30 seconds in the microwave. I stirred in the spices, transferred the chocolate to a small plastic sandwich bag, cut a tiny hole at one end and drizzled the white chocolate right over the meringues. I left a few meringues without the white chocolate in case anyone prefers their meringues without toppings (I don’t know who those people are but they might be out there). Once the chocolate was set, the meringues were ready to eat. These meringues can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
And that’s it!
Beautiful, show stopping, conversation-starter meringues.
Gingerbread Meringues
Ingredients
Gingerbread Meringues
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup egg whites (3–4 eggs)
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Spiced White Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Combine the spices for the meringues and set them aside.
- Preheat the oven to 215 degrees F. and line two baking pans with parchment paper.
- Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer and whisk on medium for 1 minute, until they begin to bubble.
- With the stand mixer still on medium speed, slowly sprinkled in the sugar until it is all combined with the egg whites then raise the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff peaks form on the meringue, for around 8 minutes.
- Sprinkled the spices into the meringue and whisk on high for 30 seconds, just until the spices are incorporated.
- Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag (you can also use a large Ziploc bag for this) with the 1M Wilton piping tip, or your tip of choice. Pipe the meringues on to the parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each meringue. You can also dollop the meringues on to the baking sheets for a more rustic look.
- When both baking sheets are full, place them in the oven and bake the meringues for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and let the meringues sit for another 2 hours in the oven.
- When the meringues come out of the oven, prepare the white chocolate drizzle: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chopped white chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave, stir the chocolate then melt for another 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Stir in the spices, transfer the chocolate to a small plastic sandwich bag, cut a tiny hole at one end and drizzle the white chocolate right over the meringues.
- Once the chocolate is set, the meringues are ready to eat. The meringues can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- *tip: meringues are always a 2:1 ratio. 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup egg whites. 2 cups sugar to 1 cup egg whites.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
