Mixing Up Meringue

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)

After nearly inciting a riot of ravenous vegans last time I posted about making meringue, I’ve tried my hardest to steer clear of the subject, lest I stir that pot again. It kills me that I can’t share the recipe yet, and must wait until it’s published in the next book, but there is good news: You needn’t wait that long to satisfy your meringue cravings! That’s right, the evil genius behind Angel Food is determined to conquer every last impossible baking challenge, and can now help you do the same with their brand new vegan meringue kit.

All you need to provide is the sugar and water, and you’ve got yourself a fluffy mass of sweet bubbles, ready to be baked into classic meringue cookies, pie topping, you name it. Overly excited to just play around with my mix, I wish I had saved some to experiment more with, but I ended up just trying out lots of different flavors. However, I’m betting that it could make one mean meringue frosting for those sick of the standard buttercream, and perhaps even pavlova with a few simple tweaks. No matter what, you can’t really make a bad decision here, since you get four different batches of over 2 dozen cookies by following the instructions on the box.

Whipping up effortlessly into stiff peaks, they looked just like my own meringue, but the similarities ended once they hit the oven. Sinking ever so slightly as the heat bore down, they didn’t look quite the same as how I piped them, and they also developed a crackled look on top. It might have been the sugar that I used that produced that grainy look, as I was too lazy to process my granulated sugar into caster, but I don’t bother to do so for my recipe either. Appearances aside, they tasted as sweet as candy, additively crunchy and with just a pleasant whisper of vanilla. A perfect facsimile by any accounts albeit distinctly more sugary than the version I’m now accustomed to.

My favorite by far though were the chocolate variant I made. Tossing in 2 tablespoons of dutch process cocoa powder instantly turned the cloud-like batter into a medium brown fluff. With just enough chocolate, it’s not overwhelming or unapproachable like some decadent chocolate desserts, but it’s a wonderful treat all the same. Even better yet was when I under baked one sheet of cookies; Hard shells protected an interior of sticky-sweet and gooey chocolate meringue. Although I don’t think they would last long due to moisture issues, I didn’t have enough leftover to find out.

Likewise, the batch flavored with a few teaspoons of matcha were just heavenly. No one else in the family even got a taste of these before I devoured every last morsel!

And of course, with so many raspberries kicking around, I just couldn’t resist making a raspberry version. By grinding down freeze-dried berries into a powder and adding some strained raspberry puree for color, these were practically berry candy, not cookies at all. The same technique could be used for any crunchy dried fruit as well, so that might open up the door to numerous interesting varieties, if you’re as interested in experimenting.

While it says nothing about this on the box, I do have one small word of warning: Be patient, and bake only one sheet of cookies at a time. It might seem like a painfully slow process, but your perseverance will be rewarded, trust me. This is what the bottom sheet will look like otherwise:

The kits should be stocked online at major vegan retailers like Food Fight and Cosmo’s, so if you can hold out just a little bit longer, you can satisfy your meringue needs without any recipe. Until I can get mine in print, I think that these ought to hold you over just fine.

33 thoughts on “Mixing Up Meringue”

  2. The only cookies my mom made regularly when I was growing up were meringue cookies. I’m ecstatic that I will be able to make my own soon (although I just might wait for your recipe!). My only remaining question is: When will I be able to eat angel food cake again?

  3. Ooooohhhh Oui! I am super excited about these – the big, beautiful meringues that beckon me from the patesserie windows will now have nothing on me at all!

  4. Hannah, your photos are divine! Thanks so much for including the meringues in your blog. The mix isn’t actually available thru Pangea, but Vegan Essentials and Cosmo’s and Food Fight in the US do have it (or will soon), and the Cruelty-Free Shop in Australia and various stores in NZ. Thanks again!! Alice

  7. I’ve never tried meringues but they look amazing! The way you describe them as fluffy and light makes my mouth water =)

    I can’t wait for your new book!!!

  8. Man, I used to be addicted to meringue cookies! I could go through an entire package of them in one day- all by myself! I’m so excited about your recipe, but Angel Food’s new kit is making me very curious… I think I’m gonna have to be on the lookout for this kit because I don’t think I can be teased with the idea of vegan meringue much longer!

  10. Wow vegan meringues. Never thought I would ever see anything like this. What’s in the mix? Those green tea ones look especially beautiful, by the way. I love the curl at the top of each meringue :)

  11. So cool, even though I was never a big fan of meringue. I wish they’d kept the shape you’d piped them in, because they looked like something fairies would eat (or wear as a hat). Cute!

  13. So beautiful! Ah, I so wish for some vegan meringues… I’d love to experiment in the realm of macarons and pies and frostings…

    I’m very tempted, as much as I hate to shop online (what with shipping and whatnot…). But perhaps someday soon!

  18. meringue is such a weird substance…
    i’m pretty sure one of the first times i encountered a meringue cookie was in europe, and i didn’t even know what i was ordering. basically i was shocked that it was a HUGE bomb of sugar. possibly too sweet for me.
    i think i’d like a less sweet vegan version a lot better!
    can’t wait to see YOUR recipe.
    xo.

  24. those are sooo beautiful, especially your variations… I’m not a kit-buyer, but the matcha and the raspberry ones are especially making me yearn. :O

  27. You sold me the minute you said pavlova. I suppose we all have strange pregan items that we miss, and (while not a huge meringue person otherwise) pavlova is one such memory for me!

  31. This morning I received my kit … after more than 3 months of waiting! Hannah thank you, it is thanks to you that I discovered this super magic kit for vegan :)
    As soon as I saw it on your site, I took out my credit card from my bag and I placed the order. Super find, thank you :)

  33. […] into a tasty veganised version (they’re still working on meringue, though you can buy vegan meringue mix!) Any chef knows that baking is a science so measurements matter more than if you are knocking up a […]

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