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Checkout my video collection of cookies and other treats that are great for holiday gift giving or for everyday baking. All the recipes can be found in my website. Enjoy!

I like making Meringue. They are easy and it only uses few ingredients. Meringue is basically egg whites and sugar whipped until stiff peaks. I love the soft and crunchy texture of Meringue when used into making cookies. I recently made Chocolate French Meringue Kisses, and they are so adorable and addictive.

Since I cannot get enough of them, I decided to make another batch. This time, its Marble French Meringue Cookie. I love how I can play around with flavor and colors of Meringue. Although colored Meringue are very attractive, I prefer my Meringue with a touch of flavor, not just color.

This Marble French Meringue is my favorite flavor. I always prefer chocolate flavor in because it balances the sweetness of  the Meringue. The addition of Chocolate Ganache took this Meringue to a higher level, as compared to the plain and colored ones. It has a crunchy shell, but the center is slightly chewy and gooey and a taste of smooth dark chocolate fudge. Let’s get started!

Tips for a Successful Meringue

• Keep egg whites and ALL equipment free from fat – What this means is that your egg white should not contain any bit of egg yolk as possible. Separate the egg white and egg yolk while it is still cold then let it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes before using. All the equipment (bowl and whisk) should be free from grease and should be totally dry. This helps achieving maximum volume when whipping the egg white
• Do not use plastic mixing bowl – Plastic mixing bowl are porous and can hold grease easily, and grease can hold the egg  white from reaching stiff peaks. Because grease is fat.
• Room temperature egg white – This is a MUST if you want to a nice glossy stiff peaks. Room temperature egg white whips better as compare cold one.
• Add sugar gradually – Do not dump the sugar one time. Add it slowly, feeling the mixture for any grainy texture, in the end it should be smooth and silky and free from grainy bits of the sugar. I find that using caster sugar is better because it has finer texture and it dissolves easily.
• Stabilizer – Small amount of stabilizer will go a long way on keeping the meringue hold it shape. A co,m,mon stabilizer is cream of tartar or a plain white vinegar or lemon juice will work too.
• Drying process – Meringue unlike any other cookie requires longer baking time. More than baking, it is a drying process. Give the Meringue time to dry inside the oven. This will give a nice crispy shell and a soft chewy center, just how a Meringue should be.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 275°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk Egg White: Begin whisking the egg whites with the whisk attachment on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture starts to become fluffy and bubbles starts to form. In my kitchen Aid mixer, it’s the settings 4. You can also use a hand mixer.
3. Stabilizer: Add cream of tartar.
4. Increase speed (Kitchen Aid settings 6) and gradually  add 1 tbsp of sugar in 10 seconds interval. The foam and air bubbles will start to tighten and the whites will become opaque. The “soft plop” stage describes eggs whites that hold onto the whisk but do not form peaks.
5. Add the remaining sugar as the whites turn into “soft peaks.” Continue adding in the sugar until the whites begin to form soft peaks. Here, the whites will begin to hold their shape, but will eventually slump over and melt back into the bowl.
6. Increase the speed to medium-high. After the whites begin to hold their shape, bump up the mixer to medium-high until they hold firm peaks.
7. Watch for the “firm peaks” stage. Firm peaks are achieved when whites hold their shape. If you pull the whisk straight out of the bowl, a peak will form. At this stage, the tip of the peak will fold back over onto itself.
8. Add gel food coloring or additional flavors, if using. Mix in a tiny bit of gel food coloring or other extracts until the whites hold stiff peaks.
9. Watch for the “stiff peaks” stage. The stiff peaks stage is what we are trying to achieve. At this point, the peaks should stand up nice and straight. The whites will be glossy and smooth. If you rub a bit between your fingertips, it should feel silky (meaning the sugar has completely dissolved.)
10. Fold in any other ingredients, if using. Gently fold in chopped nuts, chocolate, etc. with a large rubber spatula.
11. Fill the piping bag with meringue. Fit a piping bag with a plain or star tip. Unfold the top of the piping bag about halfway, then use a rubber spatula to fill the bag with the meringue. Fill the bag only 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full to prevent the meringue from spilling out the top of the bag.
12. Pipe out the meringue. Gently squeeze the piping bag to push out any air pockets before getting started. Pipe meringue kisses by holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet. Hover the top slightly over the sheet and pipe a “kiss” of meringue: pipe the meringue, stop pressing the bag, then pull up on the bag. (Alternatively, you can use a soup spoon to scoop large, rustic meringues.)
13. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes. Depending on the size of your meringue, bake for about 60 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and the inside is dry yet chewy. They should feel light and hollow. When done, the meringue should easily peel off the parchment paper. Turn the oven off, crack the door open, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven.

Makes 24 medium size meringue

Good to know:

• Storage: Baked meringue may be stored in a covered container at room temperature for a few days. Do not refrigerate.