Lemon Meringue Cookies Recipe | The Novice Chef

With a brilliant pop of colour from the lemon curd, these lemon meringue cookies would be the most lovely treats in your counter this spring. Dusted with powdered sugar for some aptitude, they’re nonetheless surprisingly straightforward and fast to make.

The Greatest Lemon Meringue Cookies

Vibrant and zesty, these lemon meringue cookies are like cute bite-sized suns on any serving platter. With an explosion of citrus within the meringue and toppings, lemon will certainly change into your new favourite taste for all of your candy treats.

Tucked inside a fragile, ethereal meringue, use your favourite lemon curd to offer these cookies an additional pop of colour and creaminess. Lemon slices additionally add pure acidity and a delicate bitterness. Paired with a lightweight crunch, these lemon meringue cookies are an addictive chunk.

Don’t fear in the event you’ve by no means made meringues earlier than. They’re not as intimidating as they appear! The truth is, with a little bit of endurance to let the egg whites rise correctly, you received’t have any situation inserting complete batches of those on the desk for all of your spring gatherings.

What Are Meringues?

Meringues are egg white-based desserts which are typically related to completely different European cuisines. Whereas the time period refers to strong, crunchy, and lightweight treats that come in several flavors like chocolate or vanilla, the phrase “meringue” can also be used to explain the whipping of egg whites till stiff peaks type. The combination is then spooned or piped into completely different shapes and baked for its signature crunch.

Recipe Elements

With egg whites and a few lemons, you’re all set to make these lemon meringue cookies. Test the recipe card on the backside of the submit for full ingredient quantities.

For the Meringues

• Egg Whites – Boxed whites are okay too.
• Salt
• Cream of Tartar – You’ll be able to depart it out in the event you’d like.
• Granulated Sugar – Don’t use powdered sugar. Gentle brown sugar is an effective various.
• Cornstarch – Don’t substitute this.
• Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed juice is greatest.
• Lemon Zest – Be happy to depart it out, however the recent lemon zest provides a ton of lemon taste.
• Vanilla Extract – You’ll be able to substitute it for 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract.

Topping Concepts

• Lemon Curd
• Lemon Slices
• Powdered Sugar – Don’t use granulated sugar. It’s going to add an disagreeable, grainy crunch.
• Candied Lemon
• Contemporary Berries

The best way to Make Lemon Meringues

Making these lemon meringue cookies is simple so long as you get the egg whites proper.

• Put together the tray. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside. 
• Whip the whites. Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and beat on medium velocity for 1 minute or till frothy and foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat for 3 minutes, till thicker foam kinds.

• Mix the sugar and eggs. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch. As soon as the egg combination has thickened, slowly stream the sugar combination into the egg combination. Flip the mixer to hurry 4 and proceed mixing for two minutes.  
• Proceed whipping. Add lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla and whip on velocity 6 for 13-14 minutes, till stiff peaks type.

• Fill the tray. Spoon ¼ cup – ⅓ cup of the meringue onto the ready baking sheet. Repeat till the entire meringue is used. Press a spoon into the middle of every meringue to type a bowl form. Don’t overlook to make the properly within the heart as a result of it’ll hold the lemon curd from oozing out.
• Bake. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. As soon as the time is up, flip the oven off and shut the oven door. Let the meringues cool within the closed oven for 1 hour and half-hour. Don’t open the door earlier than the cooling time is up or your meringues can deflate.
• Cool them. As soon as cooled, take away them from the oven and place them on a wire rack till they arrive right down to room temperature.
• Add toppings. Divide the curd evenly between the meringues, spooning the curd into the bowl-shaped a part of the meringue. High every with a lemon slice, mud with powdered sugar, and serve. 

Ideas for Success

Having a clear bowl and being affected person as you beat the egg whites will make sure you don’t have any points with the meringue for these lemon meringue cookies.

• Clear the bowl. Any residual moisture or fats within the bowl will forestall the egg whites from whipping correctly. Keep away from this situation by cleansing the bowl with scorching water and wiping it down with lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it dry totally earlier than utilizing it.
• Don’t rush. Beat the whites over medium-low to construct a gentle meringue. Doing it over excessive velocity will add an excessive amount of air and can trigger the meringue to break down or have too many massive air pockets.
• Keep away from plastic bowls. Some supplies don’t react properly with the egg whites, making it extra sophisticated (and even unattainable) for them to whip correctly. For that reason, keep away from plastic bowls, which are likely to react negatively to whipping whites. If attainable, follow a stainless-steel bowl.

Serving Strategies

These lemon meringue cookies are a great snack. They’re not overly candy, that means they go nice with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an in-between. For an much more indulgent deal with, serve them with my Brown Butter Ice Cream or Blackberry Sorbet on the aspect.

Mud them with extra powdered sugar, however you can too drizzle them with a little bit of uncooked honey or agave syrup for additional sweetness. They’re additionally fantastic with some recent berries on high!

The best way to Retailer Lemon Curd Meringue Cookies

As soon as totally cooled, retailer these lemon meringue cookies in an hermetic container or bag for as much as 4 days. When you’re including lemon curd as a topping, I like to recommend storing them in a container with out overlapping them. In any other case, the curd will follow the bag’s plastic. Don’t refrigerate them as a result of they’ll take up moisture and soften.

Extra Lemon Desserts

Yield: 12 meringues

Lemon Meringues

These lemon meringue cookies are brilliant, citrusy cookies with a fragile, ethereal crunch. They’re addictive with a little bit of lemon curd!

Prep Time
quarter-hour

Prepare dinner Time
45 minutes

Extra Time
1 hour half-hour

Complete Time
2 hours half-hour

Elements

For the Meringues

• 5 egg whites
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, non-obligatory
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Concepts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside. 
2. Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add egg whites and beat on medium velocity for 1 minute, till small froth/foam kinds. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat for 3 minutes, till a thicker foam kinds.
3. In a separate small mixing bowl mix sugar and cornstarch. As soon as the eggs have change into a thicker foam and whereas the mixer continues to be working, slowly stream the sugar combination into the egg combination. Flip the mixer to a velocity 4 and proceed mixing for two minutes.  
4. Add lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla and whip on velocity 6 for 13-14 minutes, till stiff peaks type.
5. Spoon ¼ cup – ⅓ cup of the meringue onto the ready baking sheet. Repeat till the entire meringue is used. Press a spoon into the middle of every meringue to type a bowl form. 
6. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. As soon as the time is up, flip off the oven and depart the oven door shut. Let the meringues cool within the closed oven for 1 hour and half-hour.
7. As soon as cooled, take away from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. 
8. Divide the curd evenly between the meringues, spooning the curd into the bowl formed a part of the meringue. High every one with a lemon slice, mud with powdered sugar and serve. 

Notes

Storage: As soon as totally cooled, retailer these lemon meringue cookies in an hermetic container or bag for as much as 4 days. When you’re including lemon curd as a topping, I like to recommend storing them in a container with out overlapping them. In any other case, the curd will follow the bag’s plastic. Do not refrigerate them as a result of they’re going to take up moisture and soften.

Vitamin Info:

Yield:

12

Serving Measurement:

1

Quantity Per Serving:
Energy: 121Complete Fats: 3gSaturated Fats: 2gTrans Fats: 0gUnsaturated Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 27mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g

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