Meringue Kisses: How To Bake Perfect Mini Meringues
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These simple Meringue Kisses are smooth and crisp on the outside and soft with a slight chew on the inside. They are lovely for snacking on or a pretty addition for your afternoon tea. They can be filled with ganache or curd for a more substantial dessert, flavoured with cocoa or freeze-dried fruit, used to create an Eton Mess or to decorate a celebration cake. Such a versatile recipe and perfect for using up a couple of leftover egg whites.
There is no reason to buy shop bought mini meringues when these delightful Meringue Kisses are so easy to make.
You only need 2 ingredients plus a pinch of salt so can be quickly whipped up if you need a last minute decoration for a layer cake you are making, if you want to prettify a dessert table or if you just have a couple of leftover egg whites that you don’t want to waste.
Even though this recipe is super simple, there are a couple of key things to bear in mind to avoid your meringues cracking so we'll go through all that, plus all the different uses for these meringues and how to vary flavours. Plus an extra recipe on how to make Cocoa Kisses.
Why You’ll Love This Meringue Kisses Recipe
- Simple. Just 3 ingredients: egg whites, caster sugar and salt.
- Texture. Light and crisp on the outside with a marshmallow chew on the inside.
- Versatile. You can make chocolate or fruity flavours which I’ve given instructions for below.
- Egg whites. If you’re making custard or ice cream or recipes that only need egg yolks then this recipe is ideal for using up your egg whites.
Shop Bought Vs. Homemade Meringue Kisses
Homemade Meringue Kisses are quick and easy to whip up but they do need some specific oven time. They are still worth it to make over shop bought mini meringues though as the flavour and texture is far superior.
Shop bought meringues are the reason that I didn’t like meringues when I was younger as I had yet to make my own. They are dry and taste a little like polystyrene with an aerated feel. Nothing beats the light crisp exterior of the homemade version which crumbles into the signature marshmallow chew inside. This recipe adds a contrast of textures which means they aren’t just crunchy and pretty but taste amazing too.
Ingredients Needed
Egg whites. This recipe uses 2 medium sized egg whites which total 60g egg whites. You can use fresh eggs, thawed frozen egg whites or even egg whites from a carton. However make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before using.
Caster sugar. This is a fine white baking sugar which will dissolve much quicker than granulated sugar so is worth using if you can get hold of it (no real problem of that in the UK as it’s ubiquitous in every supermarket).
Salt. Just a little pinch is needed and I use kosher salt as in all my baking which is a softer flavour than table salt. It’s optional if you are resistant to adding it.
How To Make Meringue Kisses
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pour two egg whites into an extremely clean mixing bowl and whisk until firm.
Keep whisking and gradually pour in 100g caster sugar. The egg whites will turn beautifully glossy and begin to firm up.
Whisk for an additional 5-8 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved into the egg white. Rub the meringue between your fingers, it should feel totally smooth with no sugar grit.
Fit a large piping bag with a piping tip. Rest the piping bag in a tall glass with the ends folded back over the glass. Scoop the meringue into the piping bag.
Pipe out 12 meringue kisses onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Place into the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 50 minutes at 130°C / 110°C fan assisted / gas mark 1 / 275°F. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a further hour with the door closed. Remove from the oven and allow to finish cooling completely at room temperature on the baking tray.
Piping Perfect Mini Meringue Clouds
If you want to re-create these meringue clouds then you need a large 1A piping tip.
- Snip the end of a large piping bag and drop the piping tip in.
- Place the piping bag inside a tall glass or jug, folding the top of the bag back over the rim to hold it open and keep it stable.
- If you are colouring your meringue then at this point scrape the food colouring paste lightly up the sides of the piping bag.
- Scoop out the meringue mixture using a silicone spatula to scrape the meringue into the piping bag, using the rim of glass or jug to guide it in and keep it tidy.
- Carefully lift the bag out of the glass and pull the folded ends up to capture the meringue mixture. Make sure there are no air pockets and push the meringue down the bag to the tip.
- Twist the end of the piping bag closed. Hold your piping bag with your dominant hand at this twist with all the meringue underneath your hand.
- When you are ready to pipe, hold your piping bag directly above the baking tray, a few centimetres from the surface and point it down (not at an angle).
- Squeeze the bag from this position, pushing the meringue down gently and slowly and gently releasing to form the tip of the kiss.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Separate the eggs carefully, you don’t want any droplets of yolk mixed into the whites.
Use a stand mixer rather than a handheld mixer if you can as you are whisking for a long time.
Make sure the mixing bowl is ultra clean of any grease and completely dry as this can interfere with the structure of your meringues.
Pour the sugar into the whisked egg whites slowly so you don’t collapse the whisked whites.
Make sure the sugar has fully dissolved. If there’s any grittiness left in the meringue it can caramelise in the oven and ruin the structure.
As soon as the meringue mixture is ready then pipe and bake. If the meringue mixture is left sitting around it will start to deflate and will be floppy when piped.
Meringues need to bake low and slow to ensure the right texture. Check your oven is calibrated correctly by using an oven thermometer if you’re not sure.
Avoid opening the oven when the meringues are in there at all as this temperature shock can cause cracking.
After the finished baking time then the crucial step is to leave the meringues in the oven for the next hour. Turn off the heat and leave the door closed. This will help with cracking and to ensure the meringues are perfectly cooked.
The meringues should lift cleanly of the baking parchment and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
Recommended Equipment: 1A piping tip or open star piping tip 1M, recyclable piping bags, large baking sheet, stand mixer.
FAQs
WYou can use any large piping tip to create these meringues. For the cloud like shapes which I used in all these photos I used the 1A piping tip. If you would like a star shape then choose the 1M tip.
Yes you can overwhip. Even though you have to mix for a long time to make sure the sugar is dissolved you don’t want to go past the stiff peak stage to grainy as this will create unstable meringues.
The main reason you meringue might have developed cracks either during the bake or while it was cooling was that the sugar wasn’t dissolved properly into the egg white. Make sure the sugar has dissolved by rubbing the mixture gently between your fingers, there should be no grittiness.
Otherwise you might have had an overly hot oven. Try reducing the oven temperature to 120°C / 100°C fan assisted / gas mark ½ / 250°F.
Your meringues should keep their bright white colour even after baking. If they have started to turn a golden cream colour then they have been overbaked and the sugar has started to caramelise. Try reducing the oven temperature to 120°C / 100°C fan assisted / gas mark ½ / 250°F.
Yes you can, I prefer the Two Chicks Free Range Liquid Egg Whites.
Store the meringues at room temperature in an airtight container, preferably metal as plastic containers can produce too much humidity which will make your meringues soft and sticky. You can line the container with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.
Baked meringues can last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature and will keep a good crunch if stored correctly. If they are filled with cream, curd or ganache then consume the same day.
If you have leftover egg yolks then you could try making lemon curd or orange curd, stirring up a homemade custard, crème brulee or homemade ice cream. The odd one or two egg yolks are useful to drop into a smoothie or chocolate smoothie or even stir into a bowl of porridge. It adds a lovely creamy texture and added protein.
I haven’t personally tested it but I understand you can make a vegan version swapping the egg whites out for the same amount of aquafaba.
I don’t recommend reducing the sugar as it will interfere with the integrity of the structure of the meringue.
Flavour Variations
Vanilla. Add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla to the meringue mixture after the sugar has dissolved.
Spiced. You can add a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, or mixed spice to the meringue mixture before baking. Either mix in or dust on top after baking.
Citrus. Add either some lemon powder or orange or lemon extract or oil to the meringue mixture.
Rose water. You only need ⅛ teaspoon of rose water for some delicately scented meringues.
Fruity flavours. Whisk in 1-2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder or raspberry powder to make berry flavoured meringues.
Chocolate Dipped Meringue Kisses. Dip your baked and cooled meringues into melted chocolate so the base of the kisses are just covered. Allow to set at room temperature for a couple of hours upside down on a wire rack.
Sticky Toffee Filled Kisses. Sandwich two meringues together with cooled and thickened Sticky Toffee Sauce for an incredible treat.
Curd Filled Kisses. You just need a teaspoon of orange curd or lemon curd to use to sandwich two kisses together. It makes for an ultra pretty afternoon tea treat.
Cocoa Kisses
Make the meringues as per the recipe then mix together 1 teaspoon cocoa powder + 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl to make a paste. Lightly brush the paste up the insides of the empty piping bag. Fill your bag with the meringue mixture then it should pipe out with cocoa swirls.
You can also sandwich two cocoa kisses together with chocolate ganache to make Chocolate Ganache Filled Cocoa Kisses.
Uses for Meringue Kisses
Dessert. Perfect for a Red Berry Eton Mess or this Festive Eton Mess.
Ice cream topping. Crumble up over ice cream for a lovely sundae.
Cake decoration. Use to decorate layer or celebration cakes for special occasions.
Gifting. They can be perfect for gifting as they do look really special. When I was photographing this recipe I had some people over and I had so many awed comments on my mound of pretty meringues. Put them in lovely presentation boxes to gift.
More Egg White Recipes You'll Love
This gorgeous Sticky Toffee Pavlova combines two incredible desserts – rich Sticky Toffee Pudding and a light and fluffy Pavlova. A crisp and marshmallowy meringue base is piled high with clouds of mascarpone cream, drizzled liberally with a sticky toffee sauce and generously topped with a soft date cake crumble.
These Lemon Raspberry Friands are light little cakes made with ground almonds, egg whites and a little gluten-free flour (although you can pretty much use any flour). Fruity, zesty and very quick and easy to make.
These Coconut Matcha Macaroons are easy to make and a great use for egg whites. Completely flourless and just 6 ingredients. Dipped and drizzled with dark chocolate, these delicious gluten-free cookies have a crisp exterior and chewy coconutty insides, spiked with a hint of grassy matcha.
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Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 130°C / 110°C fan assisted / gas mark 1 / 275°F.
- Pour two egg whites into an extremely clean mixing bowl and whisk until almost firm.
- Keep whisking and gradually pour in 100g caster sugar. The egg whites will turn beautifully glossy and begin to firm up.
- Whisk for an additional 5-8 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved into the egg white. Rub the meringue between your fingers, it should feel totally smooth with no sugar grit.
- Scoop the meringue into a piping bag fit with a large piping tip and pipe out 12 meringue kisses onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- Place into the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a further hour with the door closed.
- Remove from the oven and allow to finish cooling completely at room temperature on the baking tray.
