Lemon Meringues

I love making this recipe to use in biscuit boxes during the Christmas Season or over Easter. These lemon meringue kiss cookies are also perfect for making all year round for tea parties or to keep in your cookie jar. They are super low-carb and low-calorie but really satisfy that sweet tooth!

If you love meringue recipes, try out this recipe for Chocolate Meringues or this recipe for the perfect mini Meringue Kisses.

Ingredients

To make this recipe you will need the full list of ingredients below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

Egg whites-For this recipe, you will need egg whites. I have given the quantity in grams so that you can use this recipe regardless of the size of your eggs. It is best to use room-temperature egg whites when making meringues.

Castor sugar - For this recipe, use fine white superfine sugar.

White vinegar - For this recipe, I used white grape vinegar.

Lemon zest and juice-I prefer using real lemon zest and juice, but you can also use lemon extract.

Yellow food coloring-I used gel food coloring to create the yellow swirls in these meringue cookies. You can also choose not to use food coloring if you'd prefer.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Lemon Meringues

Follow the instructions below to make these easy lemon meringues. First, you will make the meringue mixture, bake the meringue cookies, and then allow them to cool and dry out in the oven.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 100°C (212°F) fan force. Line one large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

STEP 2: Separate the egg whites. If you are using whole eggs, carefully separate the whites from the yolks, ensuring there is no yellow left in the whites.

STEP 3: Whip the egg whites. Place the egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment. Beat at low speed until air bubbles start forming, then increase the speed to medium. Beat until soft peaks form.

STEP 4: Add the sugar. Add the castor sugar to the egg whites one tablespoon at a time, with the mixer running at medium-low speed. Continue until all of the sugar has been added.

STEP 5: Add the vinegar and beat. Add the vinegar to the meringue mixture and increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Beat for 10 minutes until stiff peaks form.

STEP 6: Add the lemon zest and juice. Add the lemon juice and zest to the meringue mixture and beat briefly until combined.

STEP 7: Add the food coloring. Add two drops of food coloring to the meringue and fold it through with a rubber spatula. Don't overmix, as you should keep the swirls of yellow.

STEP 8: Pipe. Fill a disposable piping bag fitted with a round nozzle with the meringue mixture. Pipe meringue kisses onto the prepared cookie sheet; the diameter of each meringue should be about 3cm (1.2 inches).

STEP 9: Bake. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottom of the mini meringues lifts easily off of the parchment paper. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven overnight. Enjoy!

Hint: Perfect meringues need accurate oven settings. Make sure you are using an oven thermometer.

Equipment

You will need an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for this recipe.

To pipe the meringue, you will also need large baking sheets, a disposable piping bag, and a 1.5cm (0.5 inches) round nozzle. You can also use a star-tip nozzle if you prefer.

Storage

Any leftover meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for up to 2 weeks.

I do not recommend freezing meringues.

Expert Tips for Best Results

• Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks carefully. I find that eggs are easier to separate at room temperature. If you get traces of egg yolks in your whites, the whites will not whip properly.
• Be sure that the mixing bowl and the whisk are correctly cleaned and that there are no traces of fat on either of them. To be safe, cut a lemon in half and rub this on the inside of the bowl and along the whisk.
• Start whipping the egg whites slowly. Once there are little bubbles throughout the whites, you can increase the speed of the electric mixer.
• Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time; do not rush this process.
• Once the sugar and vinegar have been added, set a timer and whip the whites for a further 7 to 10 minutes to ensure that they are whipped properly.
• If you aren't sure if your whites are properly whipped, remove the whisk attachment, swirl it through the mixture, and then lift it. A stiff peak should form on the whisk, and this is how you know that you have whipped the mixture sufficiently.
• Another way to test if you have whisked the mixture properly is to look for the little peaks on each mini meringue when piping. If you don't have them, then you have not mixed the meringue properly.
• Do not let the whipped meringues sit for too long before piping them. Otherwise, the texture will change, and you will risk all of your hard work.

I hope you give this easy meringue cookie recipe a go! And if you do please leave a star rating and comment below, it helps us bloggers so much!

Also, don't forget to send snaps of your sweet treat to me on Instagram @with_love_kitty

Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty