Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

Why are my meringue cookies not crunchy? ›

If you put meringues in an oven that is just blasting with heat (which is what I used to do), it will just caramelize (or burn). And then you'll find that the meringue doesn't even go hard on the outside, but rather it will just stay soft and go all shriveled. Not to mention it will probably taste dreadful too.

Meringue is sensitive to humidity, so if you want to keep it crisp on the outside, you need to store it in an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge or freezer, as long as it is well sealed. If you bake it on a humid day, you should move it to the container as soon as it has cooled.

Storage and Making-Ahead

Do not put your meringue cookies in the refrigerator as this will add moisture to them. Make-Ahead: Since they keep well in a dry, cool, air-tight container you can make these up to 2 weeks in advance.

The bottom line: For smooth, stiff beaten egg whites that keep their shape, don't skip the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, substituting 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white works almost as well. To avoid meringues that weep, don't skip the cream of tartar...

Excess moisture in the air can seep into meringues and make them soft, even after they are baked, which is why it's best to avoid making meringue on damp days.

This is a good cookie to make in the evening; meringues can be left in the oven (with the heat turned off) overnight. Baking vegan? A good substitute for the egg whites in this recipe is aquafaba, the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

Made primarily of sugar and egg whites, meringues are hydroscopic. This means that they absorb moisture from the air and will start to soften and 'weep' after just a few hours on the counter.

Do eggs have to be room temperature for meringue cookies? ›

Use eggs at room temperature. Cold egg whites tend to reduce meringue volume. Never let any yolk get into the whites.

Bake for 60 minutes, then turn off the oven but do not take out the cookies. Let them sit in the oven until they are completely cold. I leave mine in overnight. Cookies can be stored in a ziplock bag unrefrigerated for up to two weeks.

Keep in mind that more cream of tartar doesn't necessarily mean a better, more stable result. “Too much cream of tartar will impart a metallic, tin-like taste,” Molly warns.

Acid. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue. Acid not only helps meringue whip up and aerate more quickly, it also keeps it stable. Without acid, meringue is more likely to collapse either during or after mixing.

The meringue is flavoured slightly with lemon zest and some lemon juice is added. The lemon juice does not really add flavour to the meringue, it is mainly used as its acidity helps to stabilise the whisked egg whites in the meringue mixture.

1 Answer. I'm pretty sure the problem is in using too much starch. Try less, or even learn to whip meringue which does not weep - you need to get both the speed and whipping time just right - and then skip the starch altogether. You can also try making Italian meringue, it's much easier.

Meringues are very sensitive to humidity. They become sticky and chewy. But this is very easily fixed by placing them into the fridge. You can either store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks or you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks.

Meringues can have a softer centre, depending on time/temperature of baking/drying (moisture retention = softer centre), but they won't be chewy. Chewy meringues, or pavlovas, have cornflour and vinegar added, which helps create that chewy centre.

Officially, they're supposed to be sort of crispy but quickly melt in your mouth. But when they're underdone, they're a little chewier but absolutely no less delicious! Those sound like they're slightly underdone but that's okay!