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Lemon Meringue Cookies

March 30, 2011 by Joy the Baker 232 Comments

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If the dream fairies are taking requests, tonight I’d like my dreams to include:

the bright green grass of a perfectly manicured baseball field.

first kisses.

lemonade so cold and tart it almost hurts my teeth.

… maybe a waterfall… that might be nice.

… the sound of my aunt dede humming to herself?…. that could be pretty special.

and perhaps these lemon cookies, cold… from the freezer.

I rarely put in dream requests, but I’m feeling rather particular tonight.  K.  Thanks.

lemon infused

These cookies:  little dreams… I swear to it.

Light meringues are infused with lemon zest and vanilla and baked until crisp and dry.  That’s just the beginning.

IMG_1510

I used this tip and a piping bag to make little meringue star cookies.  It’s a big tip… although I’m not smart enough to know the size.

I piped 50 stars between two sheets.  Half of the stars stayed full and pretty, the other half of the stars I smoothed into a flat-ish circle.  The flat meringues will be the bottom of the lemon meringue sandwich.

These cookies bake in a low low oven for 2 hours.  The result is a crisp, light-as-air, dream cookie.  Dreeeeaaaaammmmm cookie.

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Citrus curd…  Hello!

So easy to make.  So bright and happy.  So easy to shovel in my face with a spoon at midnight after I’ve already gotten out of bed to make myself a random bowl of grits.

… or whatever.

IMG_1545

The hardest part about making curd is straining it through a fine mesh strainer… and we both know that’s no effort at all.

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Oh, wait.  Another tough part is when you fill the curd jar too full… and you have to spoon a good portion into you mouth to keep it from overflowing.  That’s hard.

lemon on lemon

Lemon bottom.  Lemon curd middle.  Lemon top.

lemon i love you

Sandwiched together, they’re the perfect bite.  All you need is a big mouth.

These little clouds are delicate, sweet and bright.  They taste exactly like Lemon Meringue Pie.  They’re my dream come true.  I wish I could tell you that I shared these cookies with people that I know and love, but the truth is… I shoved most of these cookies in my mouth before I told anyone that I even made them.

There are a few tricks you should know when making these cookies:

Humidity will effect the meringues.  The more humid, or moist the air, the stickier the meringues will get.  It’s just one of those things.

These are not really travel cookies.  They should be assembled right before they’re eaten.  I like the curd cold cold cold in these cookies.  I assembled the cookies, and left them to chill in the freezer for 20 minutes before serving… to myself.  They were incredible!

Assemble.  Chill for 20 minutes to an hour.  Serve.  Freak out.  …that’s how it should go.

Oh!  You may have a bit of extra curd left over.  Eat it.  Just eat it.

Lemon Meringue Cookies

Makes: about 25 cookies

Print this Recipe!

For the Meringues:

2 large egg whites

pinch of salt

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place two racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 200 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Foil will also work in a pinch.    Set the baking pans aside.

Place the egg whites (save the yolks for the curd) in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Beat egg whites, on medium speed,  until foamy.  Add the pinch of salt and increase speed to medium-high.  Slowly begin to sprinkle in the sugar.  Continue to beat eggs until they become thick, glossy and hold stiff peeks.  The egg whites will be the consistency of melted marshmallow.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.   Spoon into a piping bag, fitted with a large star tip.  Pipe about a teaspoons worth of meringue onto the baking sheet.  Stars can be close together, as they won’t spread or puff during baking.  Pipe stars onto the two baking sheets until no meringue remains in the bag.  Using the back of a spoon, flatten out half of the meringue stars, making them as flat as possible, but not necessarily a larger circle than the original piped star.  The flattened star will become the bottom of the sandwich cookie.

Bake meringues for 2 hours, until no longer sticky , but firm and hardened.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling and sandwiching.

For the Lemon Curd:

from: David Lebovitz

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

pinch of salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium pot, whisk together lemon juice, granulated sugar, eggs, yolks, and pinch of salt.  Place the pot over a medium-low flame and add butter.  Stir mixture with a whisk, and spatula.  The spatula will help you get into the corners of the pan, ensuring that none of the curd over-cooks too much.  Cook the curd until the butter is melted, and the mixture is the thickness of warm hot fudge.  The whisk will begin to leave a trail of whisk marks and the mixture will have the distinct smell of lemon curd.  You don’t really need to boil lemon curd… it’s probably done it if gets to the boiling stage.

Remove from the flame and immediately pour into the fine mesh strainer over the medium bowl.  Press through the strainer, leaving any cooked egg bits in the strainer, and not in your beautiful curd.

Place curd in a jar, with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly over the curd.  Place in the fridge until completely cold.

To fill the cookies, spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of curd onto a flattened bottom cookie.  Top with a star shaped cookie.  Place cookies in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to an hour.  I love these cookies right out of the freezer.  You can also fill them and serve them immediately.  These cookies do not last well if willed and left to sit.

Curd should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Curd lasts for about a week.  Meringues should be kept in an airtight container, in a dry area, at room temperature.  Meringues last for about 5 days… though humidity makes them sticky balls.

Recipe: Lemon Meringue Cookies

Summary: Lemon Meringues with Sweet Lemon Curd

Ingredients

  • For the Meringues:
  • 2 large egg whites
  • pinch of salt
  • 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • For the Lemon Curd:
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

For the Meringue Cookies:

  1. Place two racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Foil will also work in a pinch. Set the baking pans aside.
  2. Place the egg whites (save the yolks for the curd) in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat egg whites, on medium speed, until foamy. Add the pinch of salt and increase speed to medium-high. Slowly begin to sprinkle in the sugar. Continue to beat eggs until they become thick, glossy and hold stiff peeks. The egg whites will be the consistency of melted marshmallow.
  3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Spoon into a piping bag, fitted with a large star tip. Pipe about a teaspoons worth of meringue onto the baking sheet. Stars can be close together, as they won’t spread or puff during baking. Pipe stars onto the two baking sheets until no meringue remains in the bag. Using the back of a spoon, flatten out half of the meringue stars, making them as flat as possible, but not necessarily a larger circle than the original piped star. The flattened star will become the bottom of the sandwich cookie.
  4. Bake meringues for 2 hours, until no longer sticky , but firm and hardened.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling and sandwiching.
  6. For the Lemon Curd:
  7. Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set aside.
  8. In a medium pot, whisk together lemon juice, granulated sugar, eggs, yolks, and pinch of salt. Place the pot over a medium-low flame and add butter. Stir mixture with a whisk, and spatula. The spatula will help you get into the corners of the pan, ensuring that none of the curd over-cooks too much. Cook the curd until the butter is melted, and the mixture is the thickness of warm hot fudge. The whisk will begin to leave a trail of whisk marks and the mixture will have the distinct smell of lemon curd. You don’t really need to boil lemon curd… it’s probably done it if gets to the boiling stage.
  9. Remove from the flame and immediately pour into the fine mesh strainer over the medium bowl. Press through the strainer, leaving any cooked egg bits in the strainer, and not in your beautiful curd.
  10. Place curd in a jar, with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly over the curd. Place in the fridge until completely cold.
  11. To fill the cookies, spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of curd onto a flattened bottom cookie. Top with a star shaped cookie. Place cookies in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to an hour. I love these cookies right out of the freezer. You can also fill them and serve them immediately. These cookies do not last well if willed and left to sit.
  12. Curd should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Curd lasts for about a week. Meringues should be kept in an airtight container, in a dry area, at room temperature. Meringues last for about 5 days… though humidity makes them sticky balls.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 2 hour(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 12

Meal type: dessert

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating 4 stars:  ????? 1 review(s)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth

    February 16, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    OH JOY!!! I was just looking for a meringue cookie receipe and Google found you. I love anything lemon. I have 5 large egg whites in the freezer, left over from my last lemon meringue pie. Been dreaming about meringue cookies, because I Love meringue and also they are very low carb. Question….I plan to use Truvia instead of sugar, because of the carbs and because I have a sugar intolerance. Will the Truvia work ok in the meringue? These are the cutest cookies and with that lemon curd….YUM, that is if the meringue makes it to the oven before I dive in head first. OMG, can taste them now.

    Reply
  2. Mr. Noodle

    January 12, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    What if while making the lemon curd in the stove, the eggs became, well…. eggs? Does that mean that the mixture started to heat too much?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      January 13, 2012 at 11:47 am

      indeed… they heated too much. try lower heat for less time.

      Reply
  3. Emily S.

    December 9, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Finals week is next week; pretty sure I am going to have to make some of these to snack on while studying :)

    Reply
  4. Claire

    October 20, 2011 at 3:42 am

    I made these, my merigues weren’t as pretty and I added powdered sugar to the curd to sweeten it a bit, the bitterness was a little much. Was really proud of how they turned out, next time I will have to work on the shape of the meringues,

    Reply
  5. Keri

    September 23, 2011 at 11:48 am

    Hi Joy! Just made these and they were delicious! However, my meringue cookies didn’t come out pure white like yours, they tasted great, which is the most important thing! but they were more of a light brown color, not so pretty :) any idea why this would’ve happened???

    Reply
  6. Melanie

    June 6, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    JOY!!!!! I just tried to make these- twice. I am just about in tears now.
    I’ve made meringue before (in Utah) but I’ve never made it in the south before. (Tennessee) Is that what the problem is?!?!?!?!?!?! I’m about to scream. I’m stuck making lemon bars now… *eye twitch* If I have to look at another @#*&@ egg white, I’m going to explode.

    Help me!!!

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      June 7, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      Oh no!! It’s hard for me to know what the problem is? Are the meringues staying sticky, or not holding up?

      Reply
  7. Jessica B

    April 29, 2011 at 11:14 am

    I loved these. My friend and I gobbled them all up in one sitting. Definitely melt-in-your-mouth dream like. I was especially proud of myself as these were my first attempt at meringue!

    Reply
  8. Jen

    April 24, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I somehow stumbled on your site here, and had to try these. I wasn’t sure mine were going to turn out – my meringue didn’t set up quite stiff enough (I probably should have beat it more) so my stars weren’t as pretty, and I wasn’t too sure about the lemon curd filling as I’d never made it before. But when I went to assemble them today, OH MY.
    The lemon curd is so nice and tart, and the meringues are so nice and sweet. They’re lovely! Not as pretty as yours, but just so lovely to pop right into your mouth.
    Thanks! Great recipe!

    Reply
  9. Emily

    April 22, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    Oh. My. God. I love lemon and these look like little drops of heaven. I just saw this recipe and I am totally going to make these this weekend for Easter. Thanks for posting this recipe, I am SO excited to try this (and of course to eat any remaining lemon curd).

    Reply
  10. Blake

    April 22, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I can’t wait to try these. Have been eating lemon-everything this spring. Quick question–what kind of jar is that in your photo? Trying to put a name to it so I can track down a dozen or so….

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. lemon meringues « tess, domestic says:
    March 6, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    […] made these today, using this recipe (from the ever-fabulous joy the baker, whose cookbook i just received from amazon. and i […]

    Reply
  2. Tea Party! | Leaves in Water says:
    January 9, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    […] For the sandwiches I made classic cucumber and cream cheese, roasted red pepper hummus with shredded carrot, and goat cheese with pecans. I also served smoked salmon with cream cheese on crackers. For desert I made earl grey tea infused cookies and ginger cookies. The real hit of the evening, however, were my mini meringue cookies: little lemon meringues with lemon curd sandwiched between them. They were so good! Here is a link to the recipe. […]

    Reply
  3. Oh. My. Word. | A Small Cup of Light says:
    June 17, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    […] have been diagnosed but probably but I’m sure it’s a legit disease. These are called Lemon Meringue Cookies you have to, have to, have to try them. Seriously. Do it. […]

    Reply
  4. Cupcake Faktory » Blog Archive » Vanilla and blackberry says:
    May 15, 2011 at 7:52 pm

    […] spent the afternoon baking. I learned how to make focaccia bread (thanks Heather!) and then we made lemon-meringue cookies from Joy the baker. I love her blog, its awesome! Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. I know, […]

    Reply
  5. DB: Maple Mousse and meringue | tante Tante Mele – our blog! says:
    April 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    […] the Daring Bakers was to make a maple mouse in an edible container. We made meringue cups following this recipe and the mouse. Both delicious. A great dessert. We modified a bit the mouse as we did not have […]

    Reply

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