Starbucks Coffee Meringue Cookie Recipe - Tammilee Tips (2024)

FAQs

Why did my meringue cookies spread? ›

All meringues will expand/spread slightly as they bake, as the air trapped in the meringue will expand slightly.

It is possible to over-bake your meringue cookies. Beads of moisture form on the surface as a result of overcooking.

Leave your meringues in the oven after they're done baking for at least an hour to finish drying them out and if they become chewy after being left out you can bake them for about 10 minutes at 200F.

Fixing runny meringue is usually as simple as whisking more air into the mixture and waiting for it to develop stiff peaks. You can also add another egg white or a teaspoon of cornstarch to get the mix to the consistency you need.

And if you still run into them spreading here are quick fixes. Take the remaining cookie dough place it in the fridge, and allow the cookie dough to chill for 30 minutes to an hour. This is going to help firm up the cookie dough. Then roll it into the oblong ball and try again.

Made primarily of sugar and egg whites, meringues are hydroscopic. This means that they absorb moisture from the air and will start to soften and 'weep' after just a few hours on the counter.

As it draws in moisture, the meringues become sticky and soft instead of dry and crisp. If they're not eaten immediately, before the humidity can get to them, it's basically a disaster.

Recipe Notes

TIP: To check if the cookies are done baking, take ONE cookie out and break in half. Allow to cool. Check the inside of the meringue. If it is dry on the inside, turn off oven, leave the oven door ajar by putting a wooden spoon in the crack.

Also, it is a good idea to use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line your baking sheets, not wax paper, as the meringue will sometimes stick to wax paper. Baking the meringues in a slow oven allows for gradual evaporation of the moisture from the meringues.

Can you rebake meringue cookies? ›

You can also use the oven to re-crisp soggy or stale meringues. Put them in at a low temperature for ten minutes.

This may be the most common mistake, and the one that causes meringues to deflate. When you whip whites at a high speed, says Chef Michelle, "both large and small air bubbles form and the large ones burst‚ which causes flattening." For more tips, watch our how-to video on making meringue cookies.

Mixing Butter & Sugar

If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

If the meringue is a lot flatter after baking then it is possible that the egg whites were whisked too much. The extra air expands in the oven and can overstretch the cells of whisked egg white, causing them to break and the meringue to collapse.

Don't overbake your meringue! Overbaking causes the egg whites to shrink and squeeze out small droplets of moisture. Always make sure to check on your pie at the minimum baking time. Undissolved sugar in the egg whites can also cause weeping.