Lemon Meringue Cookies: How to Make Swiss Lemon Meringues
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 19, 2022 • 5 min read
Lemony and ethereally light, these crisp meringues are speedy and satisfying to make at home. Learn how to make lemon meringue cookies using the Swiss meringue technique.
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What Are Lemon Meringue Cookies?
Lemon meringue cookies combine a classic, marshmallow-like Swiss meringue with fresh citrus flavor. One of three types of meringue, the Swiss style involves beating egg whites and sugar together in a double boiler (a pan or bowl set above boiling water) until the sugar fully dissolves. To make lemon meringue cookies, remove the sugar-egg white mixture from the heat and whip it into a foamy froth before gently folding in the lemon flavor. The baked result is a tangy, sweet, delicate, naturally gluten-free, and shatteringly crisp confection.
Swiss meringue—also known as meringue cuite (“cooked meringue”)—is smoother and denser than French meringue but less stable than Italian meringue. You can use any of the three styles to make cookies, but most pastry chefs prefer Swiss.
6 Tips for Making Lemon Meringue Cookies
A good meringue has firm, stiff peaks, so it’s better to over-whip than under-whip. Here are some tips for nailing the perfect balance of lemon flavor to light meringue texture.
- 1. Use clean tools. If a drop of oil (or other fat) or egg yolk gets into the egg whites, the meringue will not whip properly. Thoroughly wash your bowls and whisks, then dry them with a clean towel. Learn the perfect technique for separating eggs to prevent any yolk from coming into contact with the whites. Reserve your egg yolks for making aioli, Caesar dressing, or anything else you like.
- 2. Add the citrus at the right time. Add the lemon extract after whipping the meringue to the proper consistency so that the flavorings don’t impede the whipping process. With a rubber spatula, gently fold it into the mixture. It is crucial to be as gentle as possible at this stage because—once whipped—the more you work the meringue, the looser its structure becomes. (This is why it is preferable to use lemon extract instead of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, which will likely require more mixing to incorporate.)
- 3. Make them festive. A dot of yellow food coloring swirled into the whipped meringue mix will give them a bright hue—perfect for Easter or a springtime dessert. Add the food coloring just after the lemon extract and fold until the batter is a uniform light yellow, or leave streaks for a swirled effect.
- 4. Use the meringue right away. If you store wet meringue in the fridge, the sugar will start to separate and seep, and that fluffy texture will deflate. Bake the meringue into cookies immediately after whipping, and use any leftovers in other applications, like Joanne Chang’s vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.
- 5. Use the cookies to decorate other desserts. Eat these cookies on their own or serve them on a cookie platter alongside shortbread and other festive sweets. They also make great decorative elements—Pastry Chef Dominique Ansel uses tiny meringue cookies to decorate his homemade chocolate cake recipe. Try using lemon meringue cookies as a cupcake garnish or as decoration atop lemon curd in a twist on a classic lemon meringue pie.
- 6. Keep the cookies fresh. After baking, store your lemon meringues in an airtight container at room temperature, away from humidity, for up to one week.
Easy Lemon Meringue Cookies Recipe
makes
About 40 cookiesprep time
20 mintotal time
1 hr 40 mincook time
1 hr 20 minIngredients
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Fill a medium pot with about 3 inches of water and bring to a simmer.
- 3
In a medium heatproof bowl (or the metal bowl of a stand mixer), stir together the confectioners’ sugar and egg whites.
- 4
Place the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water. The bowl should sit on the rim of the pot, well above the water.
- 5
Whisk the egg white mixture constantly as it warms.
- 6
When it reaches 113 degrees Fahrenheit and feels hot to the touch, and the sugar has fully dissolved, remove the bowl from the pot.
- 7
Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites at high speed. As they whip, the egg whites will double in volume, thicken, and cool.
- 8
Mixing is complete once the meringue is very fluffy, with a consistency similar to shaving foam, and medium-soft peaks form. This should take about 5 minutes, depending on your mixer.
- 9
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the lemon extract into the meringue, followed by the yellow food coloring (if using).
- 10
Place a plain tip or star tip in a plastic piping bag and use scissors to cut the bag to fit the tip. Fold over the top of the pastry bag, so it forms a lip all the way around.
- 11
Form your nondominant hand into a “C” shape and rest the bag in your hand, letting the lip of the bag fall over your fingers.
- 12
Using a spatula, place 2 large scoops of meringue in the bag so that it is a ⅓ full. Push the meringue down toward the tip of the bag.
- 13
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. At each corner, pipe a small dot of meringue under the parchment. Push the parchment flat to help keep it “glued” to the sheet pan.
- 14
Holding the piping bag at a 90-degree angle, or perpendicular, about a ½ inch above the sheet pan, pipe a dot of meringue with steady, even pressure until it reaches the size of a dime. Pull the piping bag straight up to create a fine point. (You should have a teardrop-shaped meringue; feel free to experiment with different sizes and shapes.)
- 15
Repeat piping drops about a ½ inch apart until you have used all of the meringue, refilling the piping bag as necessary.
- 16
Bake the meringues for 20 minutes.
- 17
Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 20 more minutes.
- 18
Continue to rotate the pan every 20 minutes until the meringues are completely dry, about 1 hour and 20 minutes total. The cookies should be crispy all the way through.
- 19
Transfer the cookies—still on the parchment paper—to a wire rack to cool completely.
- 20
When cool, gently remove the cookies from the parchment with your fingers and place them on a serving plate or store them in an airtight container.
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