Fruit & Nut Brown Sugar Meringues
And a very merry X-mas!
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I’m going to keep this short and sweet, since I know many of you are busy celebrating the holiday with your loved ones. If you’re in the mood for an easy last-minute baking project that can help you use up the little bits and bobs of baking ingredients that you have in your kitchen already, I’ve got just the recipe for you.
When I make recipes that use just egg yolks, I store the egg whites in a glass jar, which makes baking a batch of meringues a no-brainer. You can whip these up (literally!) in just a few minutes, and if you have kids around, I’m sure they’d love to help you dollop the meringues onto the baking sheets. You can pop these in the oven and enjoy them about an hour later (they're just as good warm from the oven as any other cookie is!), or leave them in the oven to enjoy tomorrow, on the big day.
It’s been so much fun to see all your enthusiasm for cookie baking this year, so I couldn’t let the season end without giving you one more recipe to try!
Here’s wishing everyone a happy, sweet, and safe holiday!
Coming Up Next Week
Next Friday, on NYE, I’ll be sending one email to both free and paid subscribers. Everyone will get a roundup of recipes perfect for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and paid subscribers will have access to a bonus recipe for this Cheese Soufflé. Sign up now if you want the recipe to land in your inbox!
Fruit & Nut Brown Sugar Meringues
Makes 18 small meringues
These chewy meringues are a great way to use up those bits and bobs that you have left over from your holiday baking. You can use whatever you have to fold into the meringues, which are not too sweet, delightfully soft, and slightly caramel-y thanks to the brown sugar. Use one cup total of whatever mix-ins you like or have on hand. I particularly like the cacao nibs, which add a subtle crunch and a bittersweet counterpoint to the meringue. Try walnuts, almonds, chopped candied ginger, dried cranberries, coconut, or freeze-dried fruit.
Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup packed/165g brown sugar, preferably dark
Pinch of cream of tartar (or a splash of lemon juice)
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup of roughly chopped pistachios
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar (or lemon juice), and salt in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer and set it over a pot of simmering water. Whisk the mixture constantly by hand until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes (see TIPS if you don’t have a stand mixer). Beat in the vanilla. Fold in the cacao nibs, chocolate chips, dried cherries, and pistachios.
Use two spoons to dollop the meringue onto the baking sheets (see TIPS for additional instructions for this). Each should be a little pile a bit larger than a golf ball.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can let them cool in the oven for a few hours or overnight. Or, sneak them out and enjoy them right away! Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
TIPS:
If you have been collecting egg whites in a jar, every egg white is equal to 1 fluid ounce, so you would need 3 ounces for this recipe
Meringues are simple to make as long as you follow one rule: Don’t let fat of any kind contaminate the egg whites, which will prevent them from whipping properly.
Fat could come from your hands, from a speck of egg yolk, or from a greasy bowl.
Make sure your bowl—and your whip!—are squeaky clean. Sometimes I wipe out the bowl with a little white vinegar before I start.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer works fine here, but it will become more challenging as the meringue thickens.
Make sure to dollop the meringues as soon as you mix everything in and get them right in the oven. Oils from the nuts or other mix-ins can start to thin the meringue if you let them sit.
I like to use a soup spoon and a teaspoon to shape these meringues. Scoop up some meringue with the larger spoon and use the smaller spoon to scoop it off and onto the paper, shaping it as you go.
