Meringue is a uniquely suited dish to be made in a toaster oven. As a form of a cookie that works as a combination of beaten egg whites and sugar, it’s perfect for the controlled environment of a toaster oven. But for the uninformed, what is Meringue?
Meringue is a combination of egg whites and granulated sugar. The mixture is beaten in such a way where you see stiff peaks noting this cookie type.
Below, we will provide you a step-by-step process on your meringue recipe.
The Step-By-Step Process of Making Meringue Cookies
First, you need to start by gathering the right ingredients. You’ll almost always want to start with four egg whites, ½ cup of flour, and one cup of confectioner’s sugar.
You’ll also want about three or four tablespoons of sugar based on this recipe.
The combination of these three will enable you to start with step one. However, you’ll also want to provide other options for flavor and binding:
- Cream of Tartar – This ingredient helps stabilize the egg whites like the sugar. But it’s only if you don’t have other ingredients on hand.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon juice will perform the same activity as cream of tartar in a pinch. Both are acidic, which gives a binding element to them.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder also have acidic qualities, so you can use it to substitute other binding ingredients.
- Yogurt – Yogurt is also acidic and has a creamy texture you can easily mix in. Just make sure the yogurt is plain, so you don’t mix in any unwanted ingredients.
Step One: Mix in the Egg Whites with a Beater
Your first step will always be to beat the egg whites firmly. A beat egg white looks frothy, giving that light texture you are looking for in these cookies. Continue beating until they become foamy.
Typically, an automatic beater is best used in this case. However, you can use a high-speed hand beater as well, but you’ll want to avoid taking breaks not to let the froth calm down.
Step Two: Add In Your Binding Ingredients
Binding ingredients are like those mentioned above. Anything with some level of acidity works. Just make sure you use an established recipe at first.
You can also take this opportunity to add the sugar. Remember that you’ll not want to add the confectioner’s sugar yet, only a tiny amount of regular sugar.
You’ll want to keep working until all these ingredients are indistinguishable.
Step Three: Mix in Confectioner’s Sugar and Put it in a Piping Bag
Step number three involves adding the other two ingredients: confectioner’s sugar and other flavoring options.
Once again, you’ll want to mix well until all of the ingredients are combined in a creamy mixture.
This mixture will fill a piping bag. The piping bag will enable you to get those pointy tops that people look for in these cookies.
However, you shouldn’t expect perfection from yourself if this is your first time cooking these.
At this point, you’ll want to get a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Ensure that the parchment paper has no chance of folding up, as toaster ovens have heating elements that are easy to reach.
Empty the pastry bag into tiny dots, providing a few inches of space between each one. These will come out a bit sticky when you are done, but that’s why the baking sheet and paper are essential.
Step Four: Place In The Toaster Oven for a Baking Time 30 Minutes
Provided everything else works, you will want to place your ingredients in the toaster oven for 30 minutes. Thirty minutes is ideal when using the ingredients above.
A toaster oven is suitable for this recipe because it has much lower average temperatures.
Good cookies are done at a temperature of 275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Some larger conventional ovens don’t like those lower temperatures.
You’ll want to leave them to rest for a couple of hours until they reach room temperature. If you live in an area known for high humidity, you’ll want to remove them and palace them in another container within an hour.
How Do You Know When Meringue Cookies are Done?
Finished meringue cookies show that they are done by having a glossy and stiff texture. The points up-to should be firm, and the cookies shouldn’t sink under a light touch.
If the cookies are soft, you might have made your cookies a bit too big. Ideally, you’ll want them to be a little bit bigger than Hershey’s kisses.
Final Thoughts
Good meringue cookies are excellent for feeding your friends and family. When trying to create a light snack, they are much better for you than standard cookies.
Also, toaster overs are suited for use with these cookies simply because they are great for light-duty work.
The wait time of these cookies can be pretty painful, as you often have to start these at the beginning of the day before enjoying them near the end.
For other toaster oven desserts, check out our guide on making macaroons using your oven toaster. Thanks for reading!
