Strawberry Meringues

Hey guys! Do you ever have a ton of leftover egg whites laying around? Same, and I’m here with the PERFECT solution to that not-so-terrible-problem today. We’re making them special with a bit of strawberry flavor and dark chocolate dipping, and there are no regrets here you guys.

So here’s the thing- I don’t actually love meringues. They have always been a favorite of my brother, but for some reason I’ve never been a fan. These however, use a Swiss Meringue, which results in a chewier, more dense result that I’m way more into. Plus the chocolate so. Here we are.

How to make Strawberry Meringues

If you’ve never worked with freeze-dried strawberries, this is a great recipe to start with. It’s a solid way to impart that fresh strawberry flavor, without compromising the texture of whatever you’re working with.

In this method, and most of the time when working with this product, you want to blend it to a fine powder in a spice grinder, small food processor, or blender. You want to get this out of the way before you start- preparation and all.

Then, in the event that you don’t have leftover egg whites to work with, go ahead and separate out the whites from the yolks carefully- remember that any broken yolk that gets in will mean that the mixture won’t fluff together correctly!

So, Swiss meringue. I’m a big fan of this method not only because of the end result, but because it creates a very stable, piping-friendly meringue to work with before baking. The classic method works as well, but you have to take extra precautions, and it really won’t work well if it’s humid on the day you decide to bake them. With Swiss meringue, not so!

You start by cooking the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved- this takes 5-10 minutes, and you should be able to rub a little of the mixture between your fingers without feeling any sugar grains. Once that’s complete, transfer to the mixing stage. If you have a stand mixer, fit it with the whisk attachment and set it to medium speed.

You really want to achieve a thick, glossy meringue here, which will take a full 10-15 minutes in a stand mixer. Then, you want to simply sift the strawberry powder over the meringue, and fold it in gently. It will impart a light pink color, and we’re here for that.

Pipe your meringues onto a large baking sheet using a star tip. You can keep them very close together as they won’t spread, and it’s best if you can fit them all on one baking sheet.

As for the baking, we’re going low and slow for this recipe guys. No oven door opening either! You want to bake them for one hour and ten minutes, and then turn the oven off and leave them in for a full hour. This process allows the meringues to cook and dry out gently, creating that crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside texture that we want.

Once they are completely cooled off, you can dip them in melted chocolate and let them set. Enjoy!