Cloud Meringues Recipes

Steps:

• Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Add vanilla.
• Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff. (Don't over beat though or they get 'tough'!) Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop by teaspoonful on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake until dry at 300 degrees, about 20-25 minutes (sometimes this takes 35-45 minutes).
• Note: you can also add 2 Tbls of cocoa to make Chocolate Clouds.

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until the mixture holds soft peaks, about 1 minute. With the machine running on medium-high speed, add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and holds stiff peaks, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Using a spatula, fold in the strawberries and lemon zest, taking care not to deflate the batter.
• Using a 1/4-cup-size ice cream scoop, scoop heaped mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each about 2 inches apart. Bake for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely while still in the oven, about 2 hours.
• The meringues can be stored in an airtight plastic container for up to 4 days.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large clean glass or metal bowl, whip the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until they can hold a soft peak. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar while continuing to whip to stiff peaks. Fold in the lemon zest. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they peel off of the sheet without resistance. Cool on wire racks, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ 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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/100C fan/gas 1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw 6-8 clouds on each piece of parchment measuring about 10cm across by 8cm in height. Use a template as the left half of the cloud needs to be a mirror image of the right (or they won't match when they are sandwiched together). Then, turn the parchment over so the pencil marks don't come into contact with the meringue.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until stiff and glossy. Add in the black food colouring to make a light grey.
• Place the meringue mix in a large piping bag and pipe over the templates. Bake for 20 mins then reduce the heat to 100C/80C fan/gas ¼ and cook for a further hour or until completely dry. Leave to cool thoroughly in the oven.
• To create the storm cloud lollies, pipe stiff royal icing on the meringue, just around the edge, then add a little more to secure the stick. Fill the inside of the piped area with coloured sprinkles of your choice. Add the lolly stick to the cloud, over the icing, then sandwich the other meringue over the top to enclose the sprinkles and the top of the lolly stick. Leave to dry completely for about 3 hours or overnight.