Lemon Meringue Cookies
These simply sweet and slightly chewy meringues will melt in your mouth.
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Recipe Summary test
Meringues have the hard won reputation of being a challenge in the kitchen. Though the methods required to make successful meringues are technical, they're surprisingly not difficult to master. Several steps ensure your success in the meringue-making process. First, use a completely clean and dry mixing bowl to prevent any contaminates from weighing down the meringue and forcing it to deflate. You can also use superfine sugar. It helps the sugar dissolve into the egg whites. Also, be sure to slowly add the sugar to the egg whites while they gradually whip at higher speeds over the course of eight minutes. This elongated whipping time gives maximum opportunity for the sugar crystals to completely dissolve which is essential in a successful meringue. Lastly, these special meringues use lemon extract and yellow food coloring to set apart these delicate confections from their vanilla counterparts. The lemon meringues are crisp on the outside and give way to a slightly softer inside that is delicately flavored with sweet lemon. Because lemon juice cannot be used without hindering the integrity of the meringue, the lemon flavor coming from the lemon extract is not tart at all. Instead, these meringue cookies are simply sweet and bright on the tongue and dissolve in your mouth as you chew.