Recipe for Sweet Meringue Cookies
Delicate Bite-sized Sweets Make Great Finger Foods for Parties
Jan 8, 2009
In Ecuador and other Latin American countries, suspiros, or sweet meringue cookies, are often served at parties or family gatherings as a small sweet snack or dessert. These delicate, light morsels are made by whipping egg whites and then baking them in a cool oven. Suspiros are the perfect finger food for a sweet addition to any party, as they are small and bite-size. No messy plates or silverware for the host!
Suspiros do not use many ingredients, but the preparation can be a bit tricky. You may need to experiment with the recipe when making them for the first time, in order to adjust the temperature and baking time to your oven.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 lb. (500 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tbs. lemon or lime juice, freshly squeezed
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 205° F (100° C). Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Put the egg whites in a large glass bowl. Beat the whites until stiff peaks form, slowly adding the powdered sugar as the whites are beat. Once the peaks are stiff and hold up on their own without falling, add the lemon or lime juice, whichever using.
- Put the beaten egg whites in a pastry sleeve fitted with a large tip. A small teaspoon can be used if no pastry sleeve is available.
- Squeeze out small mounds of the mixture onto the lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between mounds. Bake in a cool oven for one hour, or until the meringue drops have dried. They should not be brown, but if they start to acquire color, open the oven door and finish drying them.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Decorating the suspiros
The suspiros may be decorated with candy or chocolate sprinkles, if wanted. Other ways to decorate the suspiros are by spreading a hazelnut-chocolate cream (such as Nutella) on one side of a suspiro and then sandwiching it with another. Pineapple or apricot jam would make a nice filling, also. The suspiros could also be lightly dusted with cocoa powder.
Tips for beating egg whites
Beating egg whites scares some bakers, but it does not have to be hard. With that said, correctly beaten eggs are important for the success of your suspiros. By following a few easy steps, you should be able to get perfectly beat egg whites every time.
- The bowl in which the whites will be beat should be absolutely clean. If there is any residue of fat, the whites will not form properly.
- The bowl should also be dry, as water can inhibit the whites from forming peaks.
- Eggs that have been brought to room temperature work best for whipping.
- A pinch of salt in the egg whites will help them firm up quickly, also.
- If you are having trouble getting stiff peaks, adding a bit of cream of tartar about one-fourth of the way through the beating process should help. The lemon/lime juice can be added earlier also, if adding at the end makes the whites fall.
