Ultimate meringue

Ultimate meringue

Perfect your whisking skills for these light baked meringues - a blank canvas for tasty flavour combinations

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Plus cooking
Freezable

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to fan 100C/ conventional 110C/gas 1⁄4. Line 2 baking sheets with Bake-O-Glide non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
  2. Tip the 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
  3. Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
  4. Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy, almost like a snow drift.
  5. Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape (pic 3). Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer. Bake for 1 1⁄2-1 3⁄4 hours in a fan oven, 1 1⁄4 hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour. Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.

Per serving with cream

210 kcalories, protein 2.1g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 9.6 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 0g, sugar 30g, salt 0.12 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2003.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo shanni

    25 November 2009

    shanni commented on this recipe

    its my first attempt making it!! so i've got many qns.. does the meringue have to be in dessertspoonful sizes?? can it be smaller?? will i have to reduce the time i leave it in the oven??

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  • Binder photo chef whittle

    29 December 2009

    chef whittle rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Vanda's food

    04 February 2010

    Vanda's food rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Allie

    19 March 2010

    Allie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo fridaygirl

    04 April 2010

    fridaygirl rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Had some egg whites left over from making chocolate fondants, so gave this recipe a whirl.... yummy meringues, by far the best I have ever made!

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  • Binder photo Weeflea

    17 April 2010

    Weeflea rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These are brilliant! So easy and I love the chewiness of them... I have made them 3 times now and every time has worked out amazing! Served them last night with pan fried pineapple and drizzled with caramel sauce... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

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  • Binder photo Joan

    28 May 2010

    Joan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I love this recipe and made them pink this time. Very pretty.

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  • Binder photo Joanne Ruffell

    28 May 2010

    Joanne Ruffell rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This meringues are perfect - crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. Best I have ever eaten!

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  • Binder photo KB

    07 June 2010

    KB rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Really easy recipe. Everyone likes the crumbly and slightly chewy texture of these meringues. Everyone asked for the recipe!

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  • Binder photo Kiran

    12 August 2010

    Kiran commented on this recipe

    My meringue is currently in the oven but is a liquid texture! Does this affect the taste of the product as mine is like a flat liquid... Please help!

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  • Binder photo Jules

    18 August 2010

    Jules commented on this recipe

    Can this meringue be use to make a pavlova..?

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  • Binder photo Vivacia4

    29 August 2010

    Vivacia4 commented on this recipe

    this is an amazing recipe:) I have always loved meringues and bought them from supermarkets. Some having a very commercial taste and others tasting yummy but this recipe is so simple and yet so tasty, specially the chewy inside. I never thought i would be making these! I have one question though - HOW DO YOU GET THE PERFECT SHAPE?! Mine ended slowly spreading out into a flat circle, now i didnt mind this coz this was purely for me and my bf but if im to give this for friends and family, i would really like it to look tasty as it tastes!?

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  • Binder photo MonstaMash

    07 September 2010

    MonstaMash rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    so easy to follow! next batch is in the oven! im using this recipe for my Come dine with me with mates :) Vivacia4 - you probably havent whisked it enough? or added the sugar too fast?

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  • Binder photo foretrees

    21 September 2010

    foretrees commented on this recipe

    turned out great, even better than mums !!

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  • Binder photo Sue Campbell

    31 October 2010

    Sue Campbell rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Simply spectacular! This recipe gives me prefect merangues or pavlovas every time. Just leave it in an extra 30 mins or so for the pavlova until it will lift freely from the non stick baking sheet. :o)

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  • Binder photo ILike2Cook

    28 January 2011

    ILike2Cook commented on this recipe

    i made these last christmas every one loved them i also made some with baileys cream in the middle instead of whipped cream... lovely went down a treat

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  • Binder photo ILike2Cook

    28 January 2011

    ILike2Cook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made these at christmas every1 loved them went down a treat

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  • Binder photo Jake277

    08 February 2011

    Jake277 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    usually always make a hips of making meringues but these seem by far the best so far - the oven now... so excited to get them out now!!

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  • Binder photo sibbytaylor

    11 February 2011

    sibbytaylor commented on this recipe

    Made these for around a 70 buffet we were making at New Year The hall was busy and the buffet table full. The first plate to empty were the meringues. [ Actually it was a tray]. The nicest compliment was that 6 asked immediately for the recipe and a month later another guest caught up with us and asked why we only made one trayful as she was just waiting to catch us up and get the recipe for the best meringue she has ever tasted. Seems more than one guest thought the same. Nice to get such praise all thanks to this wonderful recipe. Due to length of time before we could serve we put choc dip on ends and filled with butter icing. We have had nothing but complaints before re soggy meringues .

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  • Binder photo helen

    04 March 2011

    helen rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I just doubled the amount of caster sugar and omitted the icing sugar, which worked perfectly for me. I imagine the recipe, as stated, would have pretty much the same result. I also added a bit of good-quality vanilla extract, to make it a bit interesting. I cooked mine for about 1 hour and 35 minutes, giving perfect results.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Plus cooking
Freezable

Ingredients

  • 4 large organic egg whites , at room temperature
  • 115g caster sugar
  • 115g icing sugar
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Per serving with cream

210 kcalories, protein 2.1g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 9.6 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 0g, sugar 30g, salt 0.12 g

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