meringue Archives - Wood & Spoon

S’mores Cookies

Last weekend, we had a massive bonfire at our house. The heat, the smoke, and the glowing movements of flames and figures from across the fire reminded me of all my favorite things about fall. While there weren’t any s’mores involved throughout the evening, I knew it was finally time to share this recipe I’d been working on for s’mores cookies: cinnamon and honey thumbprint cookies with a fudgy chocolate filling and a toasted marshmallow topping. These cookies feature all the wonderful flavors of a traditional s’mores in a cute and modernized package of a thumbprint cookie! Let me tell you how to make them.

You’ve made a thumbprint cookie before, right? Maybe they were peanut butter-flavored or featured a Hershey kiss in the center? You rolled them in sprinkles or sparkling sanding sugar? Maybe you fed them to kids or Santa or holiday party guests? Well, these are not those kind of thumbprints. Instead, here a spiced cookie base is rolled in sugar, sweetened with honey, and filled with a soft and fudgy chocolate ganache filling. The topping, also far from ordinary, is a simple meringue that we toast under a torch or a broiler. These s’mores cookies are not as quick and easy as the thumbprint cookies you grew up on, but I can promise they’re far more delicious.

Making the Cookies

To make the cookie base, butter, brown sugar, and honey are creamed together until smooth. Eggs and vanilla come next and are followed by the dry ingredients. Rounds of dough are rolled in cinnamon and sugar before be imprinted and baked until set. Once cooled, chocolate chips and butter are combined to create a soft, almost-ganache tasting filling. The chocolate is piped into the craters in each cookie and allowed to set up. Finally comes the marshmallow meringue topping! Egg whites and sugar are whipped until stiff and then piped and toasted onto the cookie. If homemade meringue intimidates you, be sure to check out my tutorial here!

That’s it for today! S’mores cookies! I hope you guys enjoy and take time to bake up some yummy fall favorites in the coming days. I’ll be back with not one but TWO recipes next week, so stay tuned! Happy Tuesday and Happy Baking!

If you like these s’mores cookies you should try:

S’mores Cheesecake
Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Vegan Fluffernutter Cookies
Sweet Potato Meringue Pie
Espresso Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

S’mores Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These s’mores cookies are thumbprint treats with a honey cinnamon base, a silky chocolate filling, and a toasted marshmallow topping!

Author: Kate
Prep Time: 25
Cook Time: 25
Total Time: 90
Yield: 48
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookie (Adapted from Love and Olive Oil):

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
¼ cup sugar

For the filling:

1–1/2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1–1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1–1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

For the meringue:

2 egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla

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Instructions

To prepare the cookie:

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the honey and stir to combine. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. The dough will be dry. Stir on low to combine and then use a small cookie scoop to scoop out 1” rounds of dough. Combine the sugar and remaining cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll each round of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Use your thumb or the rounded bottom of a ¼ teaspoon to make little impressions into each cookie. Place the dough rounds on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and place the cookie dough balls 2” apart on multiple parchment-lined pans. Bake one at a time in the oven until the cookie edges are set, about 9 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, immediately use the back of the measuring spoon to make the thumbprint more defined, if needed. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.

To prepare the filling:

In a small saucepan over low heat or a microwaveable bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup and gently melt, stirring regularly, until the chocolate has melted. Carefully put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or a Ziploc bag with the end snipped off and carefully pipe a bit of the chocolate mixture into the thumbprint of each cookie. Place in the fridge to cool while you prepare the meringue.

To make the meringue:

Put your metal stand mixer bowl or large, heat-safe mixing bowl over a small saucepan filled with 1” of water as a double boiler. Add the egg whites and sugar to the top bowl and turn the heat to medium. Stirring frequently, gently heat the egg whites until the sugar has barely dissolved. You can carefully rub the mixture between two fingers- once it’s no longer gritty, it’s ready! Remove the bowl from the heat and place on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer with beaters!). Add the cream of tartar and mix on medium-high speed until the mixture cools, thickens, and fluffs to stiff peaks. (See the link in the text for how-to’s on making meringue. Add the vanilla and put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a small open star tip. Pipe dollops of meringue on each cooled cookie and carefully use a torch or a broiler to toast the marshmallow! Enjoy!

YOU NEED TO KNOW: How to Whip Egg Whites (and Make Meringue Cookies!)

16 Comments / Tutorials

I’ll be honest- meringue is my arch nemesis. On top of pies, in a buttercream, WHEREVER, meringue is really just kinda no bueno in my book. I have failed time and time again when it comes to whipping egg whites the right way, so much so that I’ve nearly given up. But today, in continuation of our “You Need To Know” tutorials, we’re going to talk the ins and outs of egg whites, how to deal with them, what to use them for, and how to know if you’re doing it all right. Prepare yourself for total domination of the egg whites.

What Is An Egg White?

Let’s put on our nerdy glasses and science caps for a second. An egg white (aka the albumen) is one of five portions of a whole egg and accounts for about 3/5 of an egg’s total weight. It’s primarily made up of protein and water and is viscous in consistency. When beaten, the protein structure of the egg white breaks down, and over time, those unfolded proteins will rearrange into a new, expanded form. Whipped egg whites can increase in size up to 8 times larger than its original volume, and this foaming ability makes it an all-star aerator in baked goods.

How Do You Whip Egg Whites?

Egg whites are most easily whipped with an electric hand or stand mixer, but this process can be done by hand with a wire whisk as well. To whip egg whites, start with a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk attachment and begin to process the egg whites on low speed. Large, foamy bubbles will begin to appear, and once the egg whites transform from viscous liquid to loose foam, you can increase the speed of your mixer. Although the bubbles start out large, smaller, more fine bubbles will begin to appear and the foam will continue to increase in volume. You’ll stop your mixer when you reach the desired level of foam formation. So what if a recipe calls for “firmly whipped egg whites” or “egg whites with soft peaks?” We need to know what we’re looking for! Let’s start by breaking down the stages of egg white foam formation.

Foamy Egg Whites

To prepare foamy egg whites, whip your fresh, room temperature egg whites in a clean bowl until large bubbles begin to appear. At this phase, the egg whites will appear like bubbles in a foamy bathtub and will not hold their shape.

Soft Peaks

Soft peak egg whites will have a slight sheen to them and fine textured bubbles. At this phase, the whipped foam will still slide around in the bowl, and if you lift a beater out of the mixture, the peak will droop over without holding its shape. The foam is definitely fluffing up at this phase though, and you will likely see a trace of your beater in the mixture.

Firm Peaks

This is the narrow gap between soft and stiff peaks. Here, a beater lifted out of the bowl will yield a defined tip that may fall over slightly but will keep its overall pointy shape.

Stiff Peaks

At this phase, peaks are stiff, shiny, and stick to the inside of the bowl. If you lift a beater out of the bowl, the peak tip will stick up tall with a slight sheen. If you were to turn your bowl upside down at this phase, the foam would stick to the inside of the bowl without falling out! Avoid beating your egg whites past this stage as you’re likely to create an unstable, overbeaten egg white that will eventually break and deflate.

How Can I Ensure Successfully Whipped Egg Whites?

Starting out with room temperature eggs in a clean, grease-free bowl will begin the process on the right foot. Room temp eggs whip more readily than cold ones and any trace of fat (think butter, cooking spray, egg yolk) will inhibit foaming. For best results, separate your egg yolks from their whites while cold and allow the whites to come to room temperature on their own. You can ensure your bowl is truly grease-free by wiping off the inside of it with a paper towel saturated with lemon juice.

There’s also a few things that you can add to your egg whites to increase stability. Some recipes may call for adding an acid like cream of tartar, vinegar, or lemon juice, and typically 1/8 teaspoon of any of these per egg white is enough to give aid. Sugar also stabilizes egg whites and can be added in little by little near the end of the whipping duration. Avoid adding sugar in too early or too quickly as this can inhibit foam formation. More sugar incorporated into the mixture will result in a mixture that is glossy and shiny.

Is There Anything Else I Need to Know About Whipping Egg Whites?

Even stabilized egg whites are delicate, so take care when incorporating them into baked goods. Most recipes will call for gently folding the foam into whatever batter you’re working with. If you opt to beat your egg whites by hand, consider using a copper bowl or whisk! The copper in the bowl or whisk reacts with one of the proteins in the egg white, causing foamy bubbles to expand. Finally, if you’re looking for a suitable substitute for whole egg whites, consider using liquid egg whites from a carton. Just check to make sure you’re not purchasing one with a bunch of add-ins to the ingredients list.

What Do I Use It For?

Whipped eggs whites are used in a number of foods like cakes, meringues, and souffles. The foamy nature of whipped egg whites provides air, height, and a light texture to foods that benefit from the added fluff. You’ll find a small list of recipes at the bottom of this page that contain whipped egg whites, so if you’re in need of inspiration, start there! In the coming weeks, I’m going to be sharing a variety of whipped egg white-containing recipes, starting with today’s crispy Easter meringue cookies.

Easter Meringue Cookies

These Easter meringue cookies are made up of stiffly whipped egg whites to which vinegar has been added for stability and sugar has been added for sweetness. They bake up in the oven into crisp, weightless bites of sweetness that make for a cute and accidentally fat-free snack. The texture and taste of these cookies reminds me of the marshmallows you might find in a box of cereal or a packet of hot cocoa mix, and that is in no way disappointing to me.

For a little added flair, I’ve dipped these cookies in chocolate followed by either sprinkles or finely chopped pecans. Both add flavor and texture in a fun and festive way that is sure to add some springtime cheer to your home. If you’re interested in turning these basic meringue cookies into Easter meringues (aka resurrection cookies), check out the link here for a how-to on incorporating the Easter story into your baking. It’s a fun way to engage kiddos in the kitchen and to celebrate Easter beyond the bunny.

I hope you all have found this tutorial useful and that you’ll give whipped egg whites a try! See below for a list of a few airy egg white-containing treats so that you can get some practice ASAP. Happy baking, friends!

If you want to know how to whip egg whites into baked goods, check out these recipes:

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mint Chocolate Souffle

Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

Baked Alaska

Easter Meringue Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These easter meringue cookies are light and airy, crispy marshmallow cookies dipped in chocolate and either sprinkles or pecans. A fun and festive fat-free treat for springtime!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 60
Total Time: 360
Yield: 8 Dozen
Category: Dessert