Pumpkin Meringue Cookies Recipe |Video|
I combined Fall and one of my favorite desserts – meringue into super cute Pumpkin Meringue Cookies. These easy-to-make treats are a perfect way to use up those leftover egg whites you have in the fridge.
updated from 2013
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE MERINGUE COOKIES
- Endless possibilities – I love how festive these meringue cookies are. So perfect for fall baking! One of my favorite things about meringue is how versatile it is. You can shape it into almost anything, from Santa hats and rose cookies to rainbow pretzel sticks. The possibilities are endless.
- Perfect for using leftover egg whites – A simple and delicious way to use up extra egg whites.
- Light and crisp texture – And a hallmark of melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Naturally gluten-free – These cookies are naturally gluten-free.
- Easy to customize – Flavor them with spices, nuts, coffee, extracts, cocoa, citrus, or food coloring for any season or occasion.
- Shelf life – Best of all, meringue cookies keep well for weeks (2-4 weeks) , making them perfect for gifting and holiday dessert trays.
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
- Egg whites: I prefer fresh egg whites; they are superior to pasteurized egg whites in a craton.
- Pasteurized carton whites – But if you’re in a pinch, you can also use pasteurized egg whites from a carton. However, they may take significantly longer to reach stiff peaks, and the meringue will not be as voluminous, yielding fewer cookies. This is because during high-heat pasteurization, proteins are partially denatured, making them less able to retain air bubbles and less stable. If you must use carton egg whites, make sure to use cream of tartar to help stabilize them.
- Sugar – Sugar sweetens and stabilizes egg whites. I use a bain-marie to gently heat fresh egg whites with granulated sugar and cream of tartar, allowing the sugar crystals to fully dissolve before whipping the mixture into meringue.
- Pasteurized carton whites and castor sugar – If you’re using carton egg whites, heating isn’t necessary, but I recommend using caster sugar (it’s a type of granulated sugar with a finer texture and smaller sugar crystals) instead. Its finer crystals dissolve more easily into the egg whites, helping ensure the sugar is fully dissolved by the time the meringue reaches stiff peaks.
- Cream of Tartar – It became such a staple in my kitchen. I use it with all the meringue-based recipes. It helps loosen tight protein chains, allowing more air to be beaten into the egg whites and creating a stable foam. It also helps prevent overbeating (via Let’s Talk Science).
- And, it is also a powerful ingredient in Invert Sugar Syrup and Thick Caramel Sauce, as it inhibits crystallization.
- Extracts or Bakery Emulsions – Bakery emulsions are water-based, and extracts are alcohol based. Please avoid using oil-based flavorings as they can cause the meringue to deflate.
- Green Food Coloring – If you don’t have green food coloring for the stems, simply use real pumpkin seeds for a charming leaf alternative.
THINGS YOU NEED
- Stand or a handheld mixer
- Large piping bags
- Star piping tip #1M or other open star-style decorating tip
- Leaf piping tip #352
- Gel food colorings: orange, green
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STABLE SWISS MERINGUE
Whenever I need stable meringue, I make Swiss meringue, which is also the base of Swiss buttercream. It’s super easy to prepare meringue by whisking egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar over a pot of simmering water. Heating sugar with egg whites helps dissolve all of the sugar and makes the meringue stronger. I use an acidic ingredient like cream of tartar because it increases the stability of egg white foam.
Flavor the meringue with Vanilla Extract, and you can beat in fall flavor using pumpkin pie spice, too.
COLOR MERINGUE
Divide the stiff meringue into two portions. Color about ¼ of the meringue green with gel food coloring, and color the remaining portion orange. To pipe the pumpkins and leaves, I use two piping tips: a large open star tip, such as #1M, for the pumpkins, and a leaf tip #352 for the stems or leaves. Fit one large piping bag with the star tip and fill it with the orange meringue. Fit a second piping bag with the leaf tip and fill it with the green meringue.
ORANGE PUMPKINS AND LEAVES
Line a flat, light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe star shapes onto the parchment with orange meringue. It’s okay to pipe them close together; cookies won’t spread during baking. After you piped all the orange stars, take the green meringue and pipe green leaves onto each pumpkin meringue.
BAKE
Bake cookies in the preheated oven at 175F for 3-4 hours. Leave the cookies in the oven until the oven cools. Then remove them at once and store them in an airtight container, with a small dish of rice. Rice helps to keep the moisture under control, keeping meringue cookies crisp.
MERINGUE COOKIES SUCCESS TIPS
Causes – Overbeating of meringue or underbaking cookies
Remedy – Add more sugar or add 1 to 2tbsp cornstarch to the meringue at the last stage of mixing. Use cream of tartar to help stabilize the meringue.
Causes – Meringue beaten at very high speed. Or the meringue was baked at a high temperature.
Remedy – Beat meringue at medium-high speed, lower the baking temperature, and increase baking time.
Causes – This can happen when the sugar in the meringue is not completely dissolved, when the meringue is baked at a high temperature, or when it is baked for too long.
Remedy – Make sure the sugar in the meringue is completely dissolved. Stick to the bain-marie method of heating egg whites and granulated sugar. Lower the oven temperature.
Causes – High baking temperature, underbaked meringues -not baked for long enough.
Remedy – Reduce the oven temperature and bake for a little longer.
Causes – Dark baking sheet, high baking temperature.
Remedy – Use light-colored baking sheets, lower the temperature, and adjust baking time.
Stabilize – Have you added an 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.
Low to Medium Speed – 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 a stiff peak. Be patient.
Grease-Free – Maybe fat has gotten into the egg-white mixture?
Wipe the tools with vinegar before mixing the meringue.
Pumpkin Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
PUMPKIN MERINGUE COOKIES
- 4 egg whites (120 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Instructions
PUMPKIN MERINGUE COOKIES
Meringue
- In a heat-proof mixing bowl whisk together egg whites (3 egg whites, 120grams), granulated sugar (1cup, 200grams), cream of tartar (1 teaspoon)TIP: If you don't have the cream of tartar, use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or distilled vinegar.
- Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir mixture using a whisk until all of the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and return bowl to your stand mixer or use a handheld mixer. Beat at low speed, and gradually increase speed to medium-high. Don't beat at high speed. Beat until medium-stiff peaks are formed. Beat in Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon) and pumpkin pie spice, if using (1/4 teaspoon). Beat until stiff peaks are formed.
Color Meringue
- Color about 1/4 of the meringue with green gel food coloring. Color remaining meringue with orange gel color. Avoid stirring meringue; instead, fold the color into the meringue.
Pipe Pumpkins
- Pipe orange meringue cookies with a large star tip onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Then pipe green leaves on top of the orange shapes.
Bake Meringue
- Bake meringue at 175F for 3-4 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven till it cools completely. Remove baked and cooled meringues from the oven and store them immediately in an airtight container.
Video
This post was originally published on September 7th, 2013. I updated this recipe post with new pictures and written text on September 1st, 2022.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
