A Jolly Sugar Rush With SugarTripp: Meringue Cookies with Nectresse

NECTRESSE Recipe: Meringue Cookies

Hello Sugar Critters, I wanted to get extra sweet with you today and share my Nectresse sweetner recipe. Aren't my meringue cookies just adorable? Okay I'll stop fishing for compliments and get down to business. I received this product compliments of influenster.com. You can learn more about it at nectresse.com/faq , or see what other influensters had to say here.

What you'll need:

3/4 cup Nectresse
3 large Egg whites
1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
Measuring cup
Vanilla Extract or Flavored extracts (optional)
Whisk or Electric beater
Large bowl
Baking sheets
Parchment paper or Aluminum foil
Timer
Air tight storage containers

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F
Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours

Meringue Cookies are made with three ingredients: beaten egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. To ensure the egg whites reach maximum volume, have your mixing bowl and wire whisk clean and free of grease. It is easier to separate your eggs while they are cold. Once separated, cover the egg whites and let them come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes). Cover and refrigerate the egg yolks for another use. Superfine sugar makes the best meringues as it dissolves quickly and easily into the beaten egg whites. This makes nectresse a perfect substitute in my opinion. You'll need 3/4 cups of nectresse or 3 tablespoons equivalent to 18 packets.

There are a few things to keep in mind when making meringue cookies. The standard ratio when making hard meringues is 1/4 cup of sugar for every egg white. This amount of sugar is needed to give the meringue its crispness. Adding the sugar gradually to the egg whites ensures that the sugar completely dissolves and does not produce a gritty meringue. Cream of tartar is used in the whipping of egg whites to stabilize them and allows them to reach maximum volume. Also, it is a good idea to use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line your baking sheets, not wax paper, as the meringue will sometimes stick to wax paper.

Baking the meringues in a slow oven allows for gradual evaporation of the moisture from the meringues. If the oven temperature is too high, the outside of the meringue will dry and set too quickly. You will also notice that the outside of the meringue separates from the inside. Another indicator that your oven is too high is when the meringue starts to brown which causes the sugar to caramelize. If this happens, lower the temperature about 25 degrees F. If you decide to make meringues on a rainy or humid day, you will probably have to bake the meringues longer (could be up to 30 minutes more) than on a dry day. This is much like the process of making Divinity. It's not as easy during these conditions, but not impossible. Lastly, to prevent cracking of the meringues, do not open the oven door during the first half of the baking time.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can form the cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, or just use two spoons to make the cookies.

In the bowl , beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat, on medium-high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Note: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe meringue rounds in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Or spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets.

Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. (The meringues will release easily from the parchment paper.) Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours or overnight. The meringues can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days.