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winter freire photography
WINTER FREIRE PHOTOGRAPHY
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French Inspired Meringues for Valentine’s Day | Winter Freire Photography studio favorite recipes
We’re so excited to share another studio favorite recipe with you! These gluten-free French inspired meringues are hard to resist with their sweet almond vanilla flavor and light, crisp texture. They are certainly delicious all on their own, however, since it’s currently winter here in Ohio, they also make the perfect treat for dipping into hot chocolate on snowy afternoons! Carrie’s young nephews helped taste test the first batch and agreed they are even better in hot chocolate than marshmallows!
These meringues are quite simple to make but do require a little patience. We promise the end result is well worth the wait! Since this recipe does call for a little extra time and attention, we recommend involving little ones once the meringue batter is ready to go so that they don’t have to wait in between all of the mixing!
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients (almost all pantry staples!) for this meringue recipe. The most important kitchen tool is a stand mixer because this recipe does require about 15 minutes of continuous whipping from start to finish. If you don’t have a stand mixer, try getting together with a friend who does because this recipe makes plenty of meringues for sharing! Other optional tools would be a piping bag or a thick gallon size plastic bag, decorative piping tips, and parchment paper for lining the pans.
Instructions for the meringues:
1/2 cup room temperature egg whites (the whites from approximately 3-4 large eggs – this recipe does not work well with store bought liquid egg whites and requires the whites from whole eggs)
1 cup caster sugar (or regular granulated sugar pulsed in a blender or food processor for approximately 10 seconds to create fine granules)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
dash of fine salt
decorative sprinkles of choice (optional)
This recipe makes enough meringues to fill approximately two large (13×18 inch) sheet pans. Line both sheet pans with parchment paper.
If you’d like to keep it super simple (but just as delicious!):
Place spoonfuls of the meringue batter directly onto the parchment paper, add some sprinkles if you’d like and they’re ready to go into the oven!
If you’d like to draw shapes:
Bake low and slow at 200 degrees F for one hour.
Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to finish cooling inside the oven for one more hour with the door slightly opened. This gradual way of cooling helps prevent the meringues from cracking. If some of your meringues do show signs of cracking, don’t worry because they will still taste amazing!
Once your meringues are fully cooled, they are ready to be enjoyed!
*Our studio recipe has been slightly adapted but the original inspiration for these delicious meringues was provided by SweetlyCakes and you can visit that link here. She provides even more helpful hints and a step by step tutorial on how to achieve foolproof meringues!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions and tag us on social media when you give this recipe a try! We hope it becomes a new family favorite.