{"id":8247,"date":"2026-10-19T12:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T03:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8247"},"modified":"2026-10-31T19:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T10:09:31","slug":"meringue-cookie","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/meringue-cookie\/","title":{"rendered":"Meringue Cookies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meringue cookies are confections made by whipping egg whites and sugar, piping the mixture into small peaks or swirls or dropping it from a spoon in ovals, and then baking it dry. Their lightness, cracking crisply and melting away in the mouth, comes from a different mechanism than that of cookies made by working flour and butter together. Sugar is dissolved into the whipped egg whites, and moisture is driven off while the foam keeps its shape. The fineness of the texture, the crispness, and the chewiness that remains in the center vary with the proportions of the ingredients, the way the whites are whipped, and the degree of drying.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
Homemade meringues (February 18, 2007). Browning and cracks are visible on the peaked tips and rounded mounds. Photo: Marcin Floryan \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.5<\/a>. Full-size image obtained. Content not altered; not cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Adding sugar makes egg-white foam less likely to collapse<\/h2>\n

When egg whites are whipped, proteins form a film on the surfaces of the air bubbles and trap air. Sugar does more than add sweetness; it is an ingredient that keeps that foam stable. Adding sugar makes the whites take longer to foam, but the dissolved sugar makes the fine-textured foam less likely to collapse. This also makes it easier for shapes piped into small peaks or swirls to hold.<\/p>\n

Cold egg whites will also foam, but their condition changes depending on temperature, any fat on the equipment, and any yolk that has gotten in. More whipping does not always mean a better result; if whipping goes too far, the foam can turn grainy and liquid can separate out. When the mixture is piped into small confections and baked, one guideline is a glossy foam that forms standing peaks when the whisk is lifted. Following the recipe (the ingredient proportions and method) being used, the condition of the foam is checked along with the whipping time.<\/p>\n

Three methods of making meringue<\/h2>\n

\u201cMeringue\u201d refers to the whipped egg-white mixture, and it is also the name of the confection made by baking that mixture. The three representative methods of making the mixture are the French, Swiss, and Italian methods. They differ in how the sugar is added and in whether, and when, heat is applied.<\/p>\n

French meringue<\/h3>\n

In this method, sugar is added while unheated egg whites are whipped. It is used both for small confections that are piped and dried and for macarons<\/a>. The sugar is added in step with how the whites are foaming, and whipping continues while watching the gloss and how the peaks stand.<\/p>\n

Swiss meringue<\/h3>\n

In this method, egg whites and sugar are warmed together over a hot-water bath, stirred to dissolve the sugar, and whipped. In some procedures, the mixture is stirred over the water bath to dissolve the sugar and then, after being taken off the bath, fully whipped with a machine. The glossy mixture can be used as a topping for cakes and pies, and it can also become cookies that are piped and baked dry, or mushroom-shaped decorations whose caps and stems are made separately.<\/p>\n

Italian meringue<\/h3>\n

In this method, sugar and water are boiled in a separate pan to make a syrup, which is poured while still hot in a thin stream into whipped egg whites as whipping continues. It is used for mousses, buttercreams, and the like, and it is also one of the methods for making macarons. Both processes are carried out while watching how far the syrup has cooked down and how far the whites have been whipped.<\/p>\n

Each of the three methods is used for more than one confection. Both the French and Italian methods are used for macarons, and dried small confections can also be made with the Swiss method. Beyond how the meringue is made, the resulting confection also varies with the amount of sugar, the other ingredients, how it is baked, and how it is finished.<\/p>\n

How the amount of sugar, the way it is added, and its fineness change the result<\/h2>\n

Changing the amount of sugar changes not only the sweetness but also the properties of the foam. In an experiment that compared 0 grams, 50 grams, 100 grams, and 150 grams of j\u014dhakut\u014d (Japanese soft white sugar) per 100 grams of egg white, the more sugar that was added from the start, the slower the rate at which air was incorporated. Reducing the sugar changes not only the sweetness but also how the whites foam and how well the foam holds.<\/p>\n

In the French method, sugar is dissolved into the egg whites little by little while they are whipped. However, the result is not determined solely by how many additions the sugar is divided into. Even with the same amount, the condition of the foam changes depending on when the sugar is added. In the experiment mentioned above, when sugar was added once the whites were almost fully whipped, there were conditions under which no difference in air content appeared between adding it all at once and dividing it into two additions. Even when sugar is added in the same number of portions, differences in the proportions or in how far the whites have been whipped change the condition of the resulting foam.<\/p>\n

The fineness of the sugar particles also affects the result. In an experiment that compared baked meringues made with granulated sugar from three companies and with powdered sugar made by grinding each of them, powdered sugar tended to produce a smooth, hard surface, while granulated sugar produced a white, coarser texture. Under the formulation and heating conditions of this experiment, the fineness of the sugar particles led to differences in the surface and texture.<\/p>\n

Powdered sugar is granulated sugar or j\u014dhakut\u014d ground finely. Some commercial products contain a small amount of cornstarch to keep them from caking, so not all of them have the same composition. When choosing powdered sugar, the formulation changes depending not only on the fineness of the particles but also on whether the product contains starch. Some meringue cookie recipes also use cornstarch, but it is not a necessary ingredient for every meringue cookie.<\/p>\n

How acid changes foaming and the baked result<\/h2>\n

Some meringues use cream of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar. Acid affects not only how easily the whites foam but also how the meringue rises when baked. In a comparison in which cream of tartar, citric acid, and acetic acid were each added to bring the egg whites to pH 4.8, every acid helped foaming, but their effects on rising after baking were not the same, and cream of tartar increased the expansion.<\/p>\n

Air being incorporated into the foam, rising during baking, and drying so that the shape remains are separate changes. Formulations, including whether to use acid, are built around the desired texture. Because lemon juice and vinegar also contain water, they are used differently from powdered cream of tartar, including in the amount added and in the formulation.<\/p>\n

How baking and thickness change the texture<\/h2>\n

Turning the foam into a dry small confection takes a low temperature and a long time. The thick center and the thin tip of piped meringue lose moisture at different rates. Making the size and thickness uniform makes it easier to bake them evenly. Some versions have nuts or chopped chocolate mixed into the mixture, others have them scattered over the piped surface, and fruit powders can also be used to add flavor and color.<\/p>\n

One recipe that uses both fine-grained sugar and powdered sugar bakes the meringues at about 121\u00b0C for 30 minutes and then dries them at about 107\u00b0C for 1\u20132 hours. Shortening the second stage leaves some chewiness in the center, while lengthening it dries them all the way through for a crisp texture. These temperatures and times are one example for that formulation, and the same baking method is not meant to be applied to every meringue. Clues to the finished state include lightness when held, a sound when the bottom is tapped that suggests a hollow inside, and dryness in the center when one is broken open. During cooling, too, they are handled so that the fragile shapes do not break.<\/p>\n

Some meringues are given a little color. Angelo Rim, who specialized in making meringues in Botterens, Switzerland, from 1964, popularized a method of drying them at about 120\u00b0C, a higher temperature than before, to give them a slight color and aroma. Alongside the method of baking them white, this method of giving them a pale color and aroma has also been passed down.<\/p>\n

\n\"Homemade\n
Homemade meringue cookies with small pieces mixed in (April 19, 2019). Rounded, dropped shapes sit alongside shapes that keep their piped tips. Photo: Benjamin Ikuta \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from Commons obtained. Content not altered; not cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

How they differ from pavlova and macarons<\/h2>\n

Small meringues dried all the way through and pavlova<\/a>, which is crisp on the outside while keeping a marshmallow-like softness inside, aim for different textures in the center. Some pavlovas consist of meringue baked in a tall round shape and topped with whipped cream and fruit; besides their size, they are also distinguished by their interior texture and the way they are finished.<\/p>\n

For macarons, which became popular in Paris, almond flour and powdered sugar are combined with meringue to bake shells, and cream or another filling is sandwiched between two of them. Dacquoise<\/a> also uses meringue combined with nut flour, and there are confections in which the batter, baked into disks, is layered with cream. Depending on the ingredients added to the meringue, the degree of drying, and the combination with cream and the like, even confections that use similar ingredients differ in structure and texture.<\/p>\n

\n\"Heart-shaped\n
Meringues shaped into hearts and lined up on a sheet (March 4, 2014). Besides peaks, meringue can also be shaped by spreading it flat. Photo: Mythe \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from Commons obtained. Content not altered; not cropped.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The history of meringue as traced through cookbooks<\/h2>\n

A 1604 cookbook from Li\u00e8ge includes a sweet foam made by mixing sugar syrup into egg whites, but it is described as something served on a plate and is not the same as today\u2019s dry small confections. La Varenne\u2019s Le P\u00e2tissier fran\u00e7ois (The French Pastry Cook, 1653) records a recipe close to meringue called \u201csnow-froth sugar biscuits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Massialot\u2019s Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs, et les fruits (New Instructions for Preserves, Liqueurs, and Fruits, 1692) gives two methods in its chapter \u201cMeringues and Macarons.\u201d For \u201ctwin meringues,\u201d egg whites are whipped very stiff, lemon zest and fine sugar are added, and the mixture is placed on paper in rounds or ovals about the size of a walnut. Heat is applied from above with an oven lid bearing fire, and once they have risen and colored, candied raspberries, cherries, strawberries, or the like are placed in the center, which is then closed with a second meringue.<\/p>\n

The pistachio meringues that follow combine nuts, skinned in hot water and drained, with egg whites and sugar, and they are also used to decorate tarts and in assortments. Already, there was the idea not only of baking meringue on its own but also of sandwiching fruit in it or combining it with other confections. The technique of whipping egg whites, baked-dry confections, and the name \u201cmeringue\u201d each appear in historical sources at different times. In Switzerland, too, recipes survive from Lausanne in 1753 and in 19th-century cookbooks.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois Massialot, Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs, et les fruits (1692), page 186. Below the chapter heading is \u201cTwin Meringues.\u201d Directly beneath it follow the instructions to whip the whites of three or four eggs very stiff and combine them with lemon zest and fine sugar, and in the lower part of the page, rounds or ovals about the size of a walnut are formed on paper.<\/p>\n

The same book, page 187. In the upper half, the steps of baking with heat from above, placing fruit in the hollow in the center, and covering it with another meringue can be read. From the heading in the middle, the method for meringues with pistachios follows. It states that the nuts, skinned in hot water, are drained and added, and, in the lower part of the page, that each meringue should contain a nut and that they are used to decorate tarts. Source: copy held by the Getty Research Institute, images published on the Internet Archive (leaves 214\u2013215).<\/p>\n

The legend of its birth in Meiringen<\/h2>\n

There is a story that meringue was created in Meiringen, Switzerland, by a pastry cook of Italian origin named Gasparini. Joseph Favre\u2019s dictionary of 1894 treated the Meiringen theory as established fact. However, the relevant records were lost to fires in the town and to war, and direct verification remains difficult.<\/p>\n

At the time, imported sugar was expensive, and meringue used large amounts of that sugar. For this reason, there is also the view that it is more natural to think meringue was made at wealthy courts and in cities rather than in rural villages. The German name is said to have been borrowed from French. Meiringen and \u201cmeringue\u201d sound similar, but whether the town\u2019s name is the origin of the word, and whether Gasparini invented it, remain unclear.<\/p>\n

Served with Gruy\u00e8re double cream<\/h2>\n

In the Pre-Alps of the Emmental, Fribourg, and Vaud, meringues are paired with local dairy products. A dish of meringues generously topped with rich Gruy\u00e8re double cream also concludes the meal of the B\u00e9nichon, a festival in Fribourg. It is a local way of enjoying dry meringues together with rich cream.<\/p>\n

There are also ways of eating meringue in which its shape is broken up and the dish is assembled, as in Eton mess<\/a>, where crushed meringue is layered with cream and fruit. Besides being eaten as is, meringue is also used as a decoration or a base for cakes.<\/p>\n

Storing meringues to keep them crisp<\/h2>\n

Baking them so that moisture remains in the center and softening after baking by absorbing humidity are different changes. Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it draws in moisture from the air, so even thoroughly baked-dry meringues become sticky and lose their crispness when exposed to humidity. They also soften on contact with cream or fruit, so if you want to keep them crisp, combine them just before eating.<\/p>\n

To store them, let them cool completely before sealing them airtight. When freezing them as well, keep them away from odors and moisture, and handle them so they are not crushed, for example by stacking them only lightly. Condensation that forms when they are brought back to room temperature is also a cause of moisture returning. How they are cooled, how they are packaged, and when they are combined with other components also affect their texture.<\/p>\n

Using aquafaba in place of egg whites<\/h2>\n

Some meringues are made by whipping aquafaba, the cooking liquid of chickpeas, in place of egg whites. This mixture, too, becomes a small confection when it is whipped into a foam and baked dry while holding its shape.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

French meringue<\/strong>: A method in which sugar is added while unheated egg whites are whipped. Used for dried small confections, macarons, and more.<\/p>

Swiss meringue<\/strong>: A method in which egg whites and sugar are warmed together over a hot-water bath, stirred to dissolve the sugar, and whipped. Used both as a topping and for dried small confections.<\/p>

Italian meringue<\/strong>: A method in which hot, cooked-down sugar syrup is poured into whipped egg whites, which are then whipped. Used for mousses, buttercreams, macarons, and more.<\/p>

Powdered sugar<\/strong>: Sugar ground into a fine powder. Some products contain cornstarch to prevent caking.<\/p>

Cream of tartar<\/strong>: Potassium hydrogen tartrate. Known in Japanese both as shusekiei and by its English name, cream of tartar; in meringue, it is used as an ingredient that makes the mixture acidic.<\/p>

pH<\/strong>: A value indicating the degree of acidity or alkalinity.<\/p>

Expansion<\/strong>: The rising of a batter or similar mixture, increasing its volume.<\/p>

Hygroscopicity<\/strong>: The property of drawing in moisture from the air.<\/p>

Fran\u00e7ois Pierre de La Varenne<\/strong>: A 17th-century French cookbook author. His 1653 pastry book records a recipe close to meringue.<\/p>

Fran\u00e7ois Massialot<\/strong>: A 17th\u201318th-century French cookbook author. His pastry book published in 1692 has a chapter titled \u201cMeringues and Macarons.\u201d<\/p>

Gasparini<\/strong>: A pastry cook, said to be of Italian origin, who appears in the theory that meringue originated in Meiringen.<\/p>

Joseph Favre<\/strong>: A 19th-century cook and dictionary author. He stated the Meiringen theory as established fact.<\/p>

Angelo Rim<\/strong>: A craftsman who specialized in making meringues in Botterens, Switzerland, from 1964 and popularized an improvement in drying temperature.<\/p>

Double cream<\/strong>: A thick, rich cream with a high milk-fat content. Gruy\u00e8re double cream is enjoyed poured over meringues without being whipped.<\/p>

B\u00e9nichon<\/strong>: A traditional festival of the Fribourg region, with a custom of gathering around local dishes.<\/p>

Aquafaba<\/strong>: The liquid in which legumes have been cooked. The cooking liquid of chickpeas and other legumes is sometimes whipped and used in place of egg whites.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Le Cordon Bleu, \u201cMeringue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 La Varenne\u2019s similar recipe of 1653 and the history of the name. Original page not seen. The article\u2019s date of 1691 for the first appearance differs from other sources and is therefore not adopted.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    BnF, \u201cFran\u00e7ois Massialot bibliography\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Bibliographic record of the 1692 publication of Nouvelle instruction. Not a verification of the text of individual recipes.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    King Arthur Test Kitchen, \u201cMeringues\u201d<\/a> \u2014 How sugar is added, two-stage low-temperature baking, drying the center, nuts, fruit, aquafaba<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cHow to store meringues\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Hygroscopicity of sugar, airtight storage, freezing and condensation, assembling into other desserts<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Susan Reid, \u201cBlissful buttercream\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The Swiss and Italian methods, use in cream<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    Keiko Nakamura et al., \u201cEffect of Sugar Addition on the Air Content of Egg-White Meringue,\u201d Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Cookery Science, 2004<\/a> \u2014 Amount and timing of sugar and air content. Within the scope of the experimental conditions in the abstract<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC) \/ Naoko Murayama, \u201cThe Delicious Relationship Between Confectionery and Sugar,\u201d May 2004<\/a> \u2014 The foam of meringue and the role of sugar, the Italian method. Not used as the basis for comparing all three methods. The difference between the Swiss and Italian methods was cross-checked separately against Susan Reid\u2019s pastry explanation.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Patrimoine culinaire suisse, \u201cMeringues\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Examination of origin theories, literature and regional culture in Switzerland, drying and artisanal production methods<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \n

    Same source, \u201cCr\u00e8me de Gruy\u00e8re\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Pairing with double cream, food culture at the B\u00e9nichon<\/p>\n<\/li>

  10. \n

    Marc Dewalque \/ CREBESC, \u201cHistoire de la meringue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The sweet foam in a 1604 cookbook, 19th-century shaping and serving<\/p>\n<\/li>

  11. \n

    cotta Basic Recipe Encyclopedia, \u201cBasic Meringue Cookies\u201d<\/a> \u2014 An example from Japan of a dried small confection containing cornstarch<\/p>\n<\/li>

  12. \n

    Fran\u00e7ois Massialot, Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs, et les fruits, 1692, pp. 186\u2013187<\/a> \u2014 Images of the original Chapter 28 examined directly. Fruit and heat from above for the twin meringues; the pistachio type. Not a reading of the entire book, nor a determination that this is the first use of the word in the world.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  13. \n

    Kaoru Sakamoto et al., \u201cEffects of Granulated Sugar and Powdered Sugar on Baked Meringue,\u201d Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Cookery Science, 2015<\/a> \u2014 Comparison of sugars from three companies and the powdered sugar ground from each. Surface hardness, texture, and other findings are described as results under that experiment\u2019s conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  14. \n

    Kiyoe Ito et al., \u201cEffects of Additives on the Expansion of Meringue,\u201d Journal of Home Economics of Japan, 1989<\/a> \u2014 Comparison of acids at pH 4.8. Abstract checked; the full-text PDF is not claimed to have been read closely.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  15. \n

    Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC), \u201cUse Sugar Wisely to Become a Better Cook\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Definition of powdered sugar and products containing cornstarch.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  16. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cSwiss Meringue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Stirring over the water bath and whipping afterward; examples of toppings, dried cookies, and mushroom shapes.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  17. \n

    Le Cordon Bleu, \u201cLearn a new skill this winter season\u201d<\/a> \u2014 A course in making macarons with both the French and Italian methods.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  18. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cPavlova\u201d<\/a> \u2014 An example of a tall round shape, the textures of the exterior and center, and a finish of cream and fruit.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  19. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cItalian Meringue Macarons\u201d<\/a> \u2014 An example of the structure of shells made from almond flour, powdered sugar, and meringue, sandwiching cream.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  20. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cChocolate Dacquoise\u201d<\/a> \u2014 An example of meringue containing nut flour baked into disks and layered with cream.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  21. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cBaking trials: What\u2019s the best way to make meringue?\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Examples in which the amounts added differ in actual formulations using cream of tartar, lemon juice, and vinegar. A company\u2019s test-kitchen trial, distinguished from an academic study in which conditions other than the type of acid are kept identical.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  22. \n

    King Arthur Baking, \u201cWhat is cream of tartar?\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The chemical name of cream of tartar, the relationship between acidity and egg-white foam.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Meringue cookies are confections made by baking and drying a mixture of whipped egg whites and sugar. Their lightness, cracking crisply and melting away in the mouth, comes from a different mechanism than that of cookies made by working flour and butter together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6370,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Meringues","subtitle":"A light texture made from egg whites and sugar","topics":"Egg-white foam and baking \/ How they differ from macarons \/ Humidity and storage","country":"","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["egg"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[149],"class_list":["post-8247","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":[8925],"sweetlore_related_faqs":[8228],"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"manual","sweetlore_related_articles":[8245,8246,8248,8249,8250,8251,8252,8253]},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t