French Meringues

My kids see these in stores here all the time and always beg for them.  I've made them once before, a few years ago, and I guess they've remembered them all this time.  I finally did buy them at a local store here, but they must have been stored next to laundry detergent or something, because they tasted like laundry detergent!  Gross!  They were not edible....so I decided to make homemade ones ASAP because everyone was very sad about the laundry detergent ones.  I took this Peach Kuchen to a potluck last weekend, and I made a double batch, using 4 egg yolks.  The leftover whites were the perfect amount for this recipe! 

When making this before, I was afraid of over-whipping the whites, so I stopped whipping before they were stiff enough.  This resulted in the whites being too soft to pipe, and also baking up a bit sticky on the inside.  This time, I read a bunch of reviews on Allrecipes before starting, and people said you might need to whip for 15 minutes or more.  I found this to be true, even though I have a KitchenAid mixer.  I whipped until stiff peaks formed, and they piped out perfectly this time!!  The pic above is the meringues before baking.

I would also suggest to just use parchment paper instead of just greasing and flouring.... because some of mine still stuck and broke when I was trying to take them off the pan. 

Everyone loved these and they were gone in NO time, leaving just some crumbs behind.  :)  Next up, I want to try making a Pavlova again.... I made one a few years ago and loved that too.

Note: Do NOT try to reduce the sugar in this recipe.... it is a lot of sugar, but for the meringues to work and set up properly, you need the whole amount.

French Meringues
from Allrecipes

4 egg whites
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet, or use parchment paper.

2.  In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin (and forms stiff peaks), stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip- I used my Wilton 1M tip.  (You can also just spoon the mixture into circles on your baking pan).          

3.  Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 2-3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

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