Name: Meringues
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British, Scottish
Ingredients: 4 egg whites (without any traces of yolk) at room temperature; 1 cup (225 g) sugar (caster or superfine is best); 1/8 tsp cream of tartar (not necessary, but it helps make crisp meringues); 1 tsp vanilla extract

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It’s so easy to learn how to make meringues, and they’re great to have on hand for anytime you want a quick and easy dessert! They last for months!

Originally published July 30th, 2012.

Meringues have to be one of the most versatile sweets ever made, and from just egg whites and sugar.

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beautiful cream meringue in a Scottish tea room — A cream meringue I had in the Scottish Highlands a few years ago.

Not only are they versatile, but they are also rather unique, incredibly gorgeous, simple to make, fat free and gluten free, and most of all, delicious! What more could you ask?

If you throw in some coconut, you have macaroons.

Throw in ground almonds and flavoring, and you have French macarons. (Be sure you know the difference between macaroons and macarons.) Throw in some whole almonds, and you have Australian Tea Bread.

Meringue is lovely when added to other desserts like this passion fruit and lemon meringue tartlet. Crush them up for Eton Mess. If you spread the meringue mixture in a tray, add some fresh fruit and cream, you’ll have a beautiful meringue roulade! Truly, the possibilities are endless.

strawberry meringue roulade dessert with mint

Meringues and Fresh Cream

Ever since I was a little girl in Scotland, I’ve always loved meringues sandwiched together with a massive amount of unsweetened, thick Scottish cream: they’re just heavenly! When I go back to Scotland, I never leave without having at least one!

meringues sandwiched together with thick cream — Another cream meringue in a Scottish tea room.

I have never seen a fresh cream filled meringue in the US. I think part of the reason pastries are not usually sold with real, fresh whipped cream is due to the fact that it “goes off” easily (especially in the heat).

Use crushed meringues in this award-winning toffee and dark chocolate parfait recipe!

Green and Black's Chocolate Trifle

I’m sure bakeries and grocery stores don’t want to be liable for food poisoning. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t make your own fresh cream meringues at home.

Meringue and fresh cream with strawberries

Meringues are a real part of Scottish culture, “a meringue?” 🤣 Only a Scot would get that joke, as well as this one: when someone walks into a Scottish bakery, they might say (pointing to a doughnut), “Is that a doughnut, or a meringue?” The response is, “No, you’re quite right, it’s a doughnut!” This is because the words, “a meringue” sounds like Glaswegian “am I wrong?”. I hope that’s not too confusing!

How to Make Meringues

Recipe is from memory Make about 10 large meringue shapes (or 5 cream meringues)

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry and grease-free bowl. Begin beating at high speed until soft peaks form, then slowly begin adding the sugar 2 tablespoonfuls at a time, allowing sugar to dissolve each time. adding sugar to meringue

Continue beating until all sugar is used.

beating egg whites and sugar in a bowl

Stop beating when stiff, glossy peaks form.

stiff glossy peaks in egg white mixture

Add the vanilla and mix well.

adding vanilla to beaten egg whites and sugar

Be sure the meringue mixture is very stiff.

You can scoop a spoonful of the meringue mixture and push it onto the tray (lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil) with another spoon.

You honestly don’t have to do anything fancy. Just spoon them onto the tray, that’s all.

Continue to spoon them out until all the mixture is finished.

meringues ready to go in the oven

You can choose to pipe meringues, making nests (to fill with creams and fruits or anything you like). This is one of my old photos. You can be as creative as you like.

piping meringues

Place the tray in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes. After the timer goes off, turn off oven and leave meringues in for an hour, or longer (larger ones may need to dry longer). You can even put them in the oven at the coolest setting, and leave them overnight. Meringues aren’t baked as much as they are dried.

meringues in a tin

How to Serve Fresh Cream Meringues

For cream filled meringues, first choose two similarly sized/shaped meringues.

Spread one with a generous amount of thick, freshly whipped cream without anything added. Find the best quality, organic, highest fat cream without added ingredients that you can find. It will have the best cream flavor. Sandwich together with the other meringue.

Serve right away so you don’t have to worry about the cream going off, haha! A strawberry is a nice touch.

I’ve taken photos showing a plate and spoon, however, if I’m honest, I don’t believe I’ve ever not eaten them like this.

I even met a reporter in Glasgow once whose first words to me were, “Didn’t I see a picture of you stuffing your face with a fresh cream meringue yesterday?” 😳

If you made other shapes like a nest, here’s a serving idea: fill the shell with fresh cream, add strawberries and top with a glaze (like my strawberry tarts).

How to Store Meringues.

Meringues will honestly keep for months if kept in a cool, dry place in a tin (an old biscuit/cookie tin is best). Here’s a batch of meringues I made before I even started Christina’s Cucina!

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Meringues

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

A basic and simple meringue recipe. Sandwich two together with fresh cream for an iconic Scottish treat.

Ingredients

4 egg whites (without any traces of yolk) at room temperature
1 cup (225 g) sugar (caster or superfine is best)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (not necessary, but it helps make crisp meringues)
1 tsp vanilla extract