Name: Lavender-Ginger Meringue Twists
Total time: 230 min
Ingredients: Basic Meringue , divided; .5 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger; .25 teaspoon lavender extract (such as Angel Bake); Food coloring gel (such as Wilton Violet and Royal Blue)

Take tea-time up a notch with these stunning treats.

Paige Grandjean

Updated on August 13, 2022

Lavender-Ginger Meringue Twists — Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Active Time:

20 mins

Bake Time:

1 hrs 30 mins

Cool Time:

2 hrs

Total Time:

3 hrs 50 mins

Yield:

It's time for high tea. Any seasoned entertainer knows that tea time calls for delicate, sweet treats, and these Lavender-Ginger Twists are everything we wanted and more. An ultra-creative use for meringue, these sophisticated confections will be the show-stopper on your dessert table. Best of all, they can be made well ahead of time, leaving you with plenty of time to slice your tea sandwiches and entertain guests.

It all starts with our Basic Meringue recipe, which can be adapted to create any number of cute confections. Lavender and ginger make for a unique flavor combination that works shockingly well in this sweet, unexpected meringue recipe. The lavender extract provides just a hint of floral flavor that's not overwhelming, but definitely suits any spring occasion. While the flavor profile may be quite sophisticated, kids will love these meringue twists purely for the fun shape. We provide an option to pipe these meringues onto lollipop sticks to create a whimsical handheld treat—you can arrange the lollipop sticks on a Styrofoam block or in a pretty vase to make a festive display.

These Lavender-Ginger Twists will be the sunshine you need on any cloudy day. Serve these meringues with a cup of earl grey tea.

Ingredients

Basic Meringue, divided
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon lavender extract (such as Angel Bake)
Food coloring gel (such as Wilton Violet and Royal Blue)

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°F with rack in lower third position. Spread about ⅛ teaspoon of the Basic Meringue into each corner of 2 unrimmed baking sheets; line each baking sheet with parchment paper, and press into meringue to hold parchment paper in place. Set aside.
Gently stir ginger and lavender extract into remaining Basic Meringue in mixing bowl using a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated. Transfer one-fourth of the meringue mixture (about 1 cup) to a medium bowl, and stir in a very small amount of violet food coloring gel. Repeat process with one-fourth of the meringue mixture and royal blue food coloring in a separate bowl. Leave remaining meringue mixture undyed.
Transfer about half of each meringue mixture to 3 separate large piping bags with a ½-inch hole cut in the corner. Place all 3 piping bags inside 1 large (about 18-inch) piping bag fitted with a ⅓-inch open star tip.
Pipe into 5-inch-long, about 2-inch-wide, zigzag patterns on prepared baking sheets, allowing the 3 colors to swirl together as you pipe. Alternatively, if desired, arrange 14 (6-inch) lollipop sticks on prepared baking sheets, and pipe zigzag patterns onto sticks, leaving 3 inches of each stick uncovered as a handle. Refill piping bags with remaining meringue mixtures as needed, and space meringue twists at least 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. You should have 14 meringue twists total.
Bake meringues in preheated oven until dry and no longer sticky, 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. Turn oven off, and let meringues cool completely in oven until crisp, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. Meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.