Nutty Meringue Cookies Recipes

HAZELNUT MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Line the back of a 12" x 18" rimmed sheet pan or a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 225F with the rack centered.
• Prepare meringue according to the recipe.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop 1 cup of hazelnuts. If you're planning to pipe your meringue with a piping tip, you will need to chop the hazelnuts very fine so they do not clog up the tip.
• Add chopped hazelnut pieces to the whipped meringue.
• Carefully, with folding motion (going under, and over) incorporate the hazelnuts into the meringue with minimal amount of strokes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a large french open star tip and fill the bag with hazelnut meringue.
• Pipe the stars onto parchment paper in 25-30 mounts spacing them about 1- 1.5 inches apart OR use two spoons to spoon the meringues. Sprinkle meringues with chopped hazelnuts if you wish. You can make the mounts as even or rough as you want.
• Bake in preheated to 225F oven for 2 hours. To check if the hazelnut meringues are done drying, remove one meringue and break it in half. Let cool and check the center. If the center is dry, the meringues are done.Turn off the oven, leave the oven door ajar by putting a wooden spoon in the crack. Allow to completely cool.

DATE NUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Fold in dates and pecans. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

SURPRISE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Add the vanilla, cream of tartar and salt; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 250° for 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

DATE-NUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. With the mixer on high speed, beat in salt; then gradually add sugar, about a tableshppon at a time, beating well after each addition, until whites fold stiff, glossy peaks.
• Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Fold in dates and walnuts.
• Drop meringue mixture by rounded teaspoonfulls onto well-greased cooking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake in a 200°F oven for 1 hour or until outside is dry and set; cookies should not turn brown.
• Let cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and let cool completely. Store airtight.

MERINGUES, CHOCOLATE WALNUT

Steps:

• Directions
• 1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. In a medium, clean, grease-free bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, whipping until stiff but not dry peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by generously rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
• 3. Bake until completely firm and dry, but still white, about 25 minutes; you should be able to lift cookies from pan. Slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely.

WALNUT MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Grind walnuts (medium grind--not as fine as flour but not as coarse as whole sesame seeds). Purists say that a nut grinder needs to be used, but for this recipe, I find that a food processor works fine. Whip egg whites. (Alternatively, if you're in a great hurry, you don't even need to bother whipping the egg whites, in which case the cookie will be flat and smooth and chewier, and will need a bit less time to bake.) Thoroughly fold in ground nuts and sugar. Place heaping spoonfuls of mixture on 11" by 18" cookie sheet (parchment paper lined, or use a Teflon-coated one that has been lightly buttered and floured, as the batter is sticky). Space them at least 1 inch apart, as they spread when baking. There will be 24 cookies. (You can also make 48 small cookies, in which case cut the baking time about in half.) Bake in pre-heated 350F oven until golden (perhaps 20 minutes). They will still look a bit moist and raw inside-do not be dismayed! (If you bake them until they look baked inside, they will be dry and hard.) Cool 10 to 15 minutes, and remove from baking sheet. Cool another 10 to 15 minutes, then store in air-tight container, at room temperature. (If you're cautious about egg whites, store cookies in fridge but let come to room temperature before eating.) Will keep 7 to 10 days perfectly; also freeze well. They can be eaten when still warm, or when cool.

NUTTY MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, using a hand beater, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in the chopped nuts.
• Drop the batter onto silicone mats or parchment lined baking sheets (will need 2) with a teaspoon, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake until the meringues are dried through, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The cookies will remove easily from the parchment or silicone mat when ready.
• Cook's Note: Do not bake on humid days. Dye these any color to suit a seasonal event. For orange cookies, add 5 drops of food coloring.