Just Spread it on a Baking Sheet and Bake it
Recently, I was making meringue, using the recipe below. It almost always works, but sometimes it doesn’t.
https://www.joyofbaking.com/cookierecipes/ChocolateMeringueCookiesRecipe.html
The process was going perfectly. The egg-white and sugar mixture was whipping up beautifully into stiff, glossy white peaks. Then, I took a break and stuck the unbaked meringue in the fridge for about an hour. When I came back, the meringue was so soupy, and a more cream off-white color.
When I lifted the spatula, it dripped down forming ribbons, not peaks. All of the stiff peaks were gone. I turned on my mixer and whipped it for another 15 minutes, but still not even a single soft peak formed.
I wanted to make meringue cookies that would be piped out, dipped in chocolate, and then dipped in crushed candy cane. Now that was not possible.
I googled if there was a solution, but the internet said to add more ingredients or start over, which I didn’t want to do. I thought, “Screw it. I’ll just bake it (using the directions from the recipe).”
I separated half the meringue soup into another bowl. In one bowl, I mixed a couple tablespoons cocoa powder into the meringue. In the other bowl, I mixed in a couple drops of peppermint extract.
I preheated the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the edges and cover the inner sides of the pan.
Then, I poured and spread the chocolate meringue onto the prepared baking sheet.
I poured the peppermint meringue on top. Then, I swirled around the spatula, giving the meringue a two- toned marble effect.
I then lowered the heat to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and baked for an hour. Bake longer if you want the meringue to be dry and crisp all the way through, like the store bought meringues. Or bake for less time if you want a soft, sticky marshmallow interior.
The result was beautiful and delicious.
The top was so smooth and crisp, and the inside was ever-so sticky. The meringue “sheet cake” hollowed out in the middle. The meringue came off the parchment paper easily, so it could be placed on a pretty plate, if you want good presentation. It was easy to break into smaller pieces, and melted in my mouth. I love the chocolate peppermint flavor-combination.
I tried putting melted chocolate and crushed candy cane on the bottom or the meringue, but it didn’t stick.
Honestly, I wish my meringue messed up more often because this was simpler and prettier. You could easily bring it to a party and cut it into squares, or break it into messy bite-size pieces.
Lessons Learned:
- If you are trying to make meringue cookies, bake it right away after stiff peaks form.
2. Sometimes when things don’t work out, it works out for the better.
Bake with the flow.
Originally published at https://anyayu-swanson.wixsite.com on January 22, 2021.