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Meringue Rose Cookies

Not sure what to do with leftover egg whites? Make Meringue Rose Cookies.

Pink meringue rose cookies in a pink glass bowl.

updated post from 2011

MERINGUE ROSE COOKIES

I’ve made hundreds of meringue cookies and desserts over the years.  They require only few ingredients and can be made ahead of time. It doesn’t hurt that they are super pretty and delicious.

MERINGUE

  • In a heat-proof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice. Another option, in place of lemon juice, is cream of tartar or vinegar.
  • Place the bowl with egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice over a pot of simmering water. Whisking, heat the mixture. I used a stainless steel bowl, but you can also use a tempered glass bowl
  • Whisk egg white mixture constantly using a wire whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. It is important that sugar is dissolved. Undissolved sugar crystals can cause sugar beading on the meringues.
  • Rub the mixture between your fingers. It has to be smooth, if you feel graininess, keep heating the mixture until sugar is dissolved.
  • Mixture will be white and soapy. This is normal.
  • Once sugar is fully dissolved return the bowl to your mixer and whip the mixture using a wire attachment. Start at the low speed and then increase speed to medium high. Beat until medium peaks are formed. Then add alcohol or water based flavorings. Don’t use oil based flavoring. Beat meringue until it has stiff peaks.
  • Meringue should be glossy and smooth. Grainy meringue is a result of over beating.
Stiff peak meringue on wire beater.

COLOR MERINGUE

To create realistic rose coloring, I decided to use 3 shades of pink.

Divide stiff meringue into bowls and color meringue with pink gel food coloring, ranging from deep pink, medium pink, and pastel pink. Control the color intensity by adding less or more food coloring. Try not to stir meringue, but instead fold gel colors into the meringue.

Colored meringue in piping bags.

PIPE AND BAKE MERINGUE ROSE COOKIES

  • To pipe the roses you need:
  • Large Petal Tips #125
  • Flower nail
  • Parchment squares.

First, fit large piping bags with Petal Tips #125. Fill the piping bags with colored meringue. I used three piping bags and 3 Petal Tips. Be sure to watch the video on how to pipe the meringue roses.

Attach the parchment square to the flower nail. Then start piping a rose with the darkest pink in the center of the flower nail. Make a swirl. Next, use medium pink and pipe three petals around the center rose swirl. Remember, the narrow part of the petal piping tip should be facing up. Then pipe five outer rose petals with the lightest shade of pink meringue.

Place piped roses with the parchment paper attached onto the light-colored baking sheet. Bake at 175F for 3-4 hours. After, turn off the oven and let the cookies cool in the oven. Finally, once the oven cools, remove meringue cookies and store them as soon as you take them out of the oven.

Dusting piped meringue cookies with edible jewel dust.

HOW TO STORE MERINGUE COOKIES

Immediately store cookies in an airtight container with either food-grade silica gel or a small bowl of raw white rice. It helps to keep the moisture in check, and cookies stay crisp and don’t get soggy.

CAN I FREEZE MERINGUE COOKIES ?

Yes, certainly, you can freeze meringue cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to a month. If freezing, layer meringues between parchment paper sheets. Defrost meringues on the kitchen counter for 3 hours. Don’t open the container while defrosting.

Pink meringue roses in a pink glass bowl.

MERINGUE COOKIES TROUBLESHOOTING

  • Weeping
    • Causes: overbeating of the meringue or cookies are underbaked.
    • Remedy: add more sugar or add 1 to 2tbsp corn starch to the meringue at the last stage of the mixing. It stabilizes the meringue.
  • Cracks
    • Causes: meringue beaten at very high speed. Or meringue was baked at high temperature.
    • Remedy: beat meringue at medium-high speed, lower the baking temperature, and increase baking time.
  • Beading
    • Causes: this can happen when sugar in the meringue is not completely dissolved or meringue was baked at high temperature, or it was baked for too long.
    • Remedy: Make sure sugar is dissolved completely. Lower the oven temperature.
  • Chewy Texture
    • Causes: high baking temperature, underbaked meringues -not baked for long enough.
    • Remedy: adjust the oven temperature.
  • Overbrowning
    • Causes: dark baking sheet, high baking temperature.
    • Remedy: use light-colored baking sheets, lower the temperature, adjust baking time.
  • Meringue is not stiff
    • Have you added acidic ingredient? Cream of tartar, lemon juice or white distilled vinegar loosen tight protein chains in the egg whites, allowing you to beat in more air and making the meringue more stable.
    • Beat meringue at low speed at first and then increase speed to medium-high. Don’t beat the meringue at the highest speed setting.
    • It can take 10 minutes with a stand mixer to reach stiff peak. Be patient.
    • Maybe fat has gotten into the egg-white mixture? Wipe the tools with vinegar before before mixing the meringue.

TO MAKE MERINGUE ROSE COOKIES YOU NEED

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Rose Meringue Cookies

Make delicate meringue cookies, perfect for tea, and garden parties.
The recipe yields about 30 roses.
Course Candy, Cookies, Dessert, Frosting
Cuisine American, French
Keyword meringue, meringue cookies, pink rose meringue cookies, rose meringue cookies
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 30
Author Hani

Ingredients

  • 6 egg whites (180 grams)
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (300 grams)
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar, or 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Meringue

  • Combine egg whites (6 egg whites, 180 grams), granulated sugar (1 ½ cups, 300 grams), and cream of tartar (1 teaspoon) in a heat-proof bowl.
    Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk mixture until all of the sugar is dissolved.
    TIP: Rub the mixture between your finger to check if the sugar is dissolved.
  • Secure the bowl onto your stand mixer and beat it with wire beaters. Start at low speed, then gradually increase to medium-high. Don't beat meringue at high speed.
  • When medium stiff peaks are formed, add Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon) and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. When the peak doesn't fall down or bend you are ready to go.

Color Meringue and Prepare Piping Bags

  • Divide stiff meringue into three bowls and color it with gel food coloring. I used pink gel color.
    Fold the color into the meringue so it doesn't deflate too much. Excessive stirring will cause the meringue to collapse.
    Prepare three piping bags, all fitted with a petal piping tip #125.

Pipe Roses

  • To make the roses, you need three shades of pink. Secure parchment square onto a flower nail with a little bit of meringue. Hold the piping bag so the narrow end of the petal tip faces up and the wide end faces the flower nail.
    Dark Pink – use this meringue to pipe the center petal; you don't need a lot of dark meringue. Pipe a first petal with dark pink meringue.
    Medium Pink – switch to a piping bag with medium pink and pipe three petals around the first petal.
    Light Pink – switch to the piping bag with a light shade of pink and pipe five outer petals.
    Clean up the bottom edge with a toothpick and place the roses onto a baking sheet.

Bake Cookies

  • Bake meringue roses at 175F for 3-4 hours, turn off the oven, and leave the cookies until the oven cools.

Notes

  • How to Store Meringue Cookies? Store in an airtight container. Add a food-grade silica gel packet or raw white rice to the container to remedy humidity.
  • Can you Freeze Meringue Cookies? Freeze cookies in an airtight container layered between parchment for up to 3 months.

PIN IT for later

Pink meringue rose cookies in a pink glass bowl.

This post was originally published in 2011. For this reason on June 3rd, 2019 I updated this post with new step-by-step photos, written text and a video.

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11 Comments

    1. Hi Alisha,
      thank you.
      Halved recipes is 3 egg whites, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Baking time is the same.

  1. davvero splendide…sembrano vere….davvero impressionante..complimenti!!!!
    a presto,
    ciaoooooooooooooooo

  2. the meringue looks so elegant indeed. so mouthwatering!! By the way, what is meringue powder? I don't think we've got it here in our place? is it ok if we make do without it? or is there any substitute??

  3. These are so beautiful, and I'm putting them on my to-do list. Thank you so much for the tutorial!

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