These meringue pops may look tricky but they are super fun and easy to make. The best way to jazz up a cake, party or even your coffee? You guessed it, meringues. Right below is the recipe so you don’t have to scroll. All the tips, tricks & questions are answered below that with lots of pics.
Meringue rainbow roses to unicorns, cookies, pops, flowers, kisses and more- these simple desserts are truly addicting to make. Color and shape combinations are nearly endless and can be made to match any occasion, how fun!
Before you start I would recommend having a photo handy as a reference. Whether it’s a color scheme, textures, or a fun design. Grab something that inspires you.
5 easy steps to make meringues
- Whip egg whites with sugar, flavoring and cream of tartar.
- Mix different colors.
- Create your pretty designs.
- Finish with sprinkles if you’d like.
- Slowly dry them out in a warm oven for an hour or two.
That’s it! They are amazingly easy and simple to make. You can literally make these in any shape or color you want! Great for any occasion and fun to make with the kids.
What do meringues taste like?
Meringues are super light and crisp, tasting almost like a marshmallow. A prettier, more sophisticated marshmallow.
3 types of meringues
- Italian meringue is made with a sugar syrup.
- French meringue is uncooked.
- Swiss meringue is more dense. (That’s what we’re making today!)
Meringue pops!
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Paper straws or popsicle sticks
- Sprinkles or edible glitter if you'd like
- Piping bags fitted with tips
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites –room temp creates more volume
- 1 cup sugar –bakers or caster dissolves quickest
- 1 dash cream of tartar –OR splash of white vinegar OR lemon juice
- food coloring –optional
- oil free flavoring extract –optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200 F. Using parchment paper line 2 large baking sheets. I prefer to trim parchment paper to fit so it lies flat. A sprinkle of water on the corners of the baking sheet will help the paper to stick.
- In a medium sauce pan, bring a few inches of water to a boil; turn off heat. Detach and rest the bowl from your electric mixer over the sauce pan of water, similar to a double boiler. In the bowl mix egg whites and sugar by hand until all sugar is dissolved. (A couple minutes) BE SURE MIXING BOWL AND WHISK ATTACHMENTS ARE ABSOLUTELY CLEAN. NO OIL RESIDUE which would cause the mixture to fall flat.
- Carefully transfer the warm bowl to an electric mixer. With a whisk attachment beet on med-high for about 6 minutes or so. We want the mixture to cool and form stiff peaks. Sprinkle in a dash of cream of tartar and oil-free flavoring extract. Mix to incorporate.
- How many colors do you want? Divide mixture into bowls, add a drop of food coloring to each. Gently fold in the color so it doesn't deflate. (Not only are streaks OK, they can look awesome in your final product.) Fit a couple piping bags with tips. (Large open stars create great depth) Fill bags. If combining multiple colors into one piping bag, place two layers of plastic wrap on a flat work surface and spoon a few lines of colored meringue mixture side-by-side. Gently roll/wrap the plastic wrap and transfer to a piping bag.
- On your lined baking sheet pipe out your designs making sure they are all of relatively uniform size. Pipe a line about 2 inches long to place the end of your paper straw/popsicle stick on; pipe your decoration on top of that. Don't forget sprinkles if you'd like! Leave about an inch of space between meringues; they shouldn't expand but you don't want them to stick together. I like to use up my extra meringue by dotting little kisses in any left over space and removing them early due to their smaller size. Snacks for the chef!
- Bake for 1 hour; rotate trays. Bake longer if needed (up to 2 hours) until meringues are dry. They should easily pull away from the parchment paper. Turn off the heat and let them cool in the oven to reduce cracking from drastic temperature changes. Overnight in the oven is fine. Smaller meringues may be done sooner. For example: Here in the Southwest desert our climate is quite dry, I bake mine for an hour and then turn off the oven, waiting 2 or 3 hours until i pull them out. If I bake them much longer than that they will start to brown.
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Egg whites
Whipping air into egg whites for huge volume is the name of the game here. Room temperature egg whites tend to whip up the best.
It’s best to separate egg yolks from the whites over a separate bowl to prevent getting any broken yolks in the mix. Fats will prevent you from getting ultra fluffy stiff peaks.
Cream of tartar, vinegar & lemon juice
Cream of tartar (byproduct of wine making), vinegar and lemon juice are all acids used to stabilize and help trap air inside whipped egg whites. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t use one of the above but your meringues may not be their fluffiest.
Why did my egg whites not form stiff peaks?
Again, any trace of fat from a broken egg yolk could be the culprit. Using a bowl or utensils made of plastic or silicone could be the problem too. Over time they can build up a film from previous uses. “Seasoned” if you will. 😉 That’s precisely why it’s recommended to use glass, metal or ceramic to whip your egg whites in.
Superfine sugar, baker’s sugar, caster sugar
Yes you can use regular granulated sugar in this recipe, but I find that sugar with smaller granules dissolve quickest. Pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor can give you the result you’re looking for.
To save a bit of time It’s worth seeking out Superfine sugar, baker’s sugar or caster sugar (same sugar, different names) and is usually in the baking aisle of the grocery store. Go ahead and grab a box as this will be your new favorite recipe!
Note that baker’s sugar is not the same as powdered or confectioners sugar.
How humidity effects meringues
Humidity plays a big part in meringue making. The sugar will pull in and attract moisture from the air which can lead to sticky meringues. GREAT for your natural DIY face scrubs but not so good for our meringues.
Avoid making meringues on a rainy days, next to a steamy dish washer or giant pot of soup.
Revive sticky meringues in a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
How will I know when my meringues are done?
They will be dried to perfection, not yet browned, and will lift up off the parchment paper easily! Oh- it is so satisfying to lift them off as they are as light as air.
How to store meringues
Keep in an air tight container at room temperature out of direct sunlight for up to 2 weeks.
Can meringues be frozen?
Yes, apparently meringues can be frozen. I tested it out just for you! Frozen pops were left out uncovered at room temp to “thaw” for an hour or two. They tasted just fine, I didn’t notice a difference. Honestly not what I expected although they were only frozen for a few days.
Why did my meringues crack?
Prevent cracked meringues by letting them cool gradually inside the oven. Drastic changes in temperature will cause them to split. and crack. No biggie, they still taste great.
These guys below were a cracked, bubbly, discolored mess but they still tasted so good.
Why are my meringues hollow?
Over beating egg whites can cause your cute little meringues to deflate in the centers while baking. It’s a little disappointing.
Should my meringues be chewy?
A chewy meringue is one that has too much moisture content. Whether it’s a rainy day, they weren’t baked long enough, or too much liquid was added to your egg whites (rose water for example) you should be able to fix them by popping them into a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes. I like to put them in first to let them heat up with the oven and stay in to cool down after I’ve turned it off for just a bit.
You know what? Sometimes chewy meringues are fun. They remind me of cotton candy and how it sticks to my teeth. LOL Perhaps it’s just me?
How to make a meringue pop?
- Prepare the simple meringue recipe as outlined above.
- Pipe a dollop of meringue onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place the end of a paper straw onto the meringue.
- Leave enough space between straws to create fun designs.
- Pipe and craft your meringues, including any sprinkles.
- Place in a 200 degree oven for about an hour.
- Turn off oven and let them cool gradually.
Directions are the same as for any other meringue shapes. I prefer to rest the straw on a “backing” of meringue to give it more support and create a more 3D effect. Poking a straw into a previously crafted design can cause it to shift and warp.
For smaller pops simply snip the straws in half!
What is weeping or beading?
Weeping tends to happen when meringue is under cooked resulting in water loss and beading happens when it is over cooked and the sugar begins to caramelize.
I’ve really only noticed this on pies (Beading looks beautiful I might add) and shouldn’t be a problem with these meringue pops!
For one of our get-togethers we whipped up a batch of matching sugar cookies. Was so much fun to do with the kids. Here’s a link to the recipe. Super soft, nice & thick with a nearly fool proof royal icing. Bake the cookies ahead of time if you like so you can assemble them later with fresh icing!
Did you make the best meringue pops? Need to share how they turned out? I’d LOVE to see them! Tag @lubba.food.garden in Instagram and use the hashtag #ilubbafood if you love food as much as I do!
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> Lubba Lubba article is very well written and useful!
I cant stop eating them! So fun to make. New favorite.
Ahaa, its good discussion regarding this article here at this blog.