Meringue Kisses are really easy to make and look so pretty. They are great in a dessert but also to add something extra special to a celebration cake.
Making meringue kisses for the first time
I have admired Meringue Kisses for a few years now. I know that sounds weird, but I love how cute they look but have never made them. Finally I bit the bullet and decided to make them to decorate the Raspberry & Mascarpone Layer Cake I made for my sister’s birthday.
As it was the first time I made them, I followed a recipe. I don’t know whether I was doing something wrong, but they didn’t turn out great. They were yellow in colour and tasted like the sugar was burnt.
I don’t know whether this was because the recipe called for heating the sugar in the oven before adding it to the egg whites, or whether it was because the oven temperature was quite high; or a combination of the two!
Tapping into my sister’s Meringue Kisses knowledge
My sister didn’t know I was making the for her cake, so I showed her my failed attempt. At the time I didn’t realise she had secret meringue knowledge!
She used to work in a school and had the pleasure of a term of making meringues in food tech. I showed her the recipe I had used and she said they had tried lots of recipes and the best ones didn’t heat up the sugar and cooked the meringues at a far lower temperature.
Creating my own recipe
So with my sister’s help, I ditched the recipe and came up with my own. It’s not ground breaking stuff, but this recipe works really well for me and produces the incredibly cute Meringue Kisses I was looking for.
Which colour to make your Meringue Kisses
An advantage of these Meringue Kisses is that you can make them any colour you like incredibly easily. You can either stripe them like I have, or mix the food colouring gel into the meringue to get a completely coloured kiss.
You can also leave out the food colouring and have white kisses which look lovely.
I would recommend using gel food colouring and not the standard ones you can buy in most supermarkets. The gel food colouring has a much brighter colour and is a lot easier to paint because it is thicker.
You can easily buy gel food colouring online and it is increasingly being stocked in larger supermarkets. I tend to use Wilton or Sugarflair brands which are available online.
Tips for perfect Meringue Kisses
I always keep my eggs at room temperature, but if you keep them in the fridge take them out to warm up to room temperature before you make your meringues.
Cold egg whites will take a lot longer to whisk so starting with room temperature eggs will definitely be a benefit.
Also make sure all of your equipment is extremely clean before you start. If there is a speck of grease this will affect how well the egg whites whisk.
When you are adding the sugar to the beaten egg whites, make sure it is completely combined before moving on to the next stage. The sugar needs to be dissolved into the egg whites to create the best Meringue Kisses.
You can test when the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a small amount between your finger and thumb. If you can still feel grains of sugar you need to keep mixing.
Why did my Meringue Kisses crack?
The two most common reasons for meringues cracking is the oven temperature being too high or the egg whites being beaten too quickly.
This recipe requires a low oven temperature so as long as your oven is accurate this shouldn’t be an issue.
To try and reduce the risk of your meringues cracking make sure you whisk them on a medium speed. This may take a few minutes longer but will hopefully result in a prettier meringue.
If your meringues do crack, the chances are it won’t be all of them though. They still taste as delicious but might just not be the best looking.
Why did my meringues weep?
If during cooking your meringues weep (get droplets of clear liquid) on them, don’t panic. Although they might not look the most appealing, they are still perfectly edible!
Meringues usually weep when the sugar has not dissolved properly into the egg whites. This is why I always recommend testing whether you can still feel the sugar by rubbing it between your finger tips.
do you need a piping bag to make meringue kisses?
Using a piping bag will make these meringue kisses easier to make. However if you don’t have these, you can definitely still make them.
Instead of a piping bag, add the meringue to a large ziplock bag. Push the meringue to one of the corners and snip the end off. Then you can squeeze the bag like you would a piping bag to create the meringue kisses.
A piping bag is easier to paint the food colouring at regular intervals, but you can definitely still achieve a lovely look using a ziplock bag.
use piping tips to create different patterned meringue kisses
Standard circular meringue kisses are really lovely and something everyone can achieve because you don’t need a piping tip.
I do however like to use a round piping tip when I am making meringue kisses because I find this easier.
However you can use whichever piping tips you like to create different patterned meringue kisses. One of my favourite tips to use is 4B which gives the meringue kisses little ridges.
How long do meringue kisses keep for?
You can keep Meringue Kisses in an air tight container for up to two weeks.
Meringues soak up any moisture so you want to make sure they are kept somewhere cool and in a container that is definitely air tight.
If air does get to them then they start to become softer. They still taste good but they don’t have the crispness you would associate with meringues.
How to serve these meringue kisses
A great way to use these Meringue Kisses is in Eton Mess. The Meringue Kisses are mixed with softly whipped cream and fresh strawberries; a delicious summer dessert.
As I mentioned before, they also make a great decoration for cakes and cheesecakes. They elevate a cake to being that little bit more special.
If Meringue Kisses aren’t for you, why not try my Raspberry & Lemon Curd Meringue Nests.
other recipes you might like
- Classic Strawberry Pavlova
- Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream (No Churn)
- Baked Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake
- Gluten Free Nutella Choux Buns
- Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding
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Meringue Kisses
Meringue kisses are really easy to make and look so pretty. They are great in a dessert but also to add something extra special to a celebration cake.
Ingredients
- 70 g egg white (roughly 2 medium eggs)
- 140 g caster sugar
- Gel food colouring
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 100ºC (fan assisted or 120ºC non fan)
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Make sure you have a very clean bowl before cracking in the egg whites. You must not get any of the yolk in the bowl
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Whisk the egg whites until stiff at a medium speed – you will be able to hold the bowl over your head when they are stiff enough
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Add the sugar gradually, a large spoonful at a time
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After all of the sugar is added, keep whisking for five minutes until the egg whites are glossy and smooth. If you rub a small amount between your finger and thumb, you shouldn’t be able to feel the sugar grains. If you can whisk for a bit longer
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Line two baking trays with parchment paper and use a small dab of the meringue to stick the paper to the baking trays
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Turn a piping bag inside out over a large glass. Using a food paint brush, paint the gel food colouring in stripes down the inside of the piping bag
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Carefully turn the piping bag back the right way and spoon in the meringue mix
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Cut off the tip of the piping bag and pipe the kisses onto the prepared trays. Squeeze lightly on the piping bag slowly puling up before quickly lifting off to create the tip
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Bake in the oven for 50 – 60 minutes until the meringue kisses lift off the parchment paper. If they don’t lift off easily, put them back in the oven for a few minutes
Amanda says
Wow, cuteness overload Cat! Great recipe too, I always struggle with meringue but I think you just convinced me to give it another try 🙂 xo
Cat says
If I can make these, you definitely can!x
NancyC says
These look yummy and pretty, too!
Cat says
Thanks 🙂
Lainy Fenwick says
Hi what make of gel food colour do you use please?
Curly says
Hi, I use Wilton or Sugarflair gel colours. You can easily get them online.
Lainy fenwick says
Oh right ok, I do use those but some of my kisses end up with holes in them while cooking, do you know why this is happening please
Curly says
I think this is possibly from over whipping. Are you whipping them at the first stage just until stiff peaks? I make sure I keep watching mine for these they change. Also for the second stage when you’re whipping to dissolve the sugar, it could take less than 5 mins so you could keep checking to see if yours dissolves quicker. I hope this helps 🙂
Anca says
They look amazing, well done! I like the colours of the meringue kisses so much and your pictures are fab too.
Cat says
Thank you very much 🙂
Deirdre Weber says
Wow !! These look great to add to a Canada Day dessert! Thank you. I always have to come up with gluten free food for our parties as one of our group has celiac disease. These are perfect.
Cat says
Thank you. Hope you all have a great Canada Day 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I love meringue kisses and yours look so pretty!
Cat says
Thanks Kat 🙂
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
That’s so funny…. I failed a few times until I used the ‘heat the sugar first’ method which worked really well for me. The Meringue Girls use it and explained why it worked and it did (for me).
Either way…. your meringues look lovely x
Cat says
Their recipe was one of them I tried, and we all know how good their meringues are! I hope my method works for other people too! Thanks 🙂 x
Monika Dabrowski says
Wow, you’ve got serious meringue making skills! These look gorgeous! Thank you for bringing your recipe to #CookBlogShare. Stumbled!
Curly says
Thank you, my sister was a lot of help!
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
These are absolutely adorbs! How great would these be for Valentine’s Day or Date Night?!
Curly says
Didn’t think of them for Valentine’s Day – great idea.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
These look absolutely amazing Cat – I always love that cute kink to the tip of meringue kissues. I think painting stripes of colour to the piping bag, as you’ve done, is always so effective (much more effective than colouring the whole batch). Have you ever tried colouring them with some sort of fruit syrup – flavour & colour! Thankyou too for sharing with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Curly says
Ooh no, I hadn’t thought of that but I like your thinking! x
Rebecca - Glutarama says
I keep seeing these little beauties popping up across social media they’re gorgeous, I really need to make these myself…apparently you can make them with aquafaba too…not sure I’d dare try that though…i know the kids will adore these though.
Curly says
Yes I’ve heard that too! It apparently whisks up just like egg whites. I have another recipe I wanted to try with aquafaba I just haven’t got round to it yet x
Hanna says
Your meringue looks fabulous. I never tried making them before I am but hesit
Love your meringue so professional. I am bit hesitated to make them . I always have problem with meringue and French macaron.
Curly says
Thanks Hanna. Oh if I can make them I’m sure you can too! Be brave and give them a try 🙂
Lainy says
Thank you I will make sure I will do this next time! I thought i was using the wrong type of food colouring and that there was too must moisture/water from the colouring !!
Curly says
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works for you next time!
Erin says
Okay the Meringue turn out great but the coloring did not?? We followed your directions what could have we done wrong?
Curly says
Glad the meringues turned out well. What type of colouring did you use? Was it gel colouring? What went wrong with it exactly?
Sian Johnson says
Hi, my meringues seemed alot flatter than yours? Any tips?
Curly says
Oh no! A couple of suggestions – were your eggs old or fresh? Older egg yolks tend to not hold their air bubbles as much which could mean they flatten. If you mean they were flat before they were cooked it could be that the eggs weren’t whisked enough. Hope that helps.
laura says
do you water down the food coloring so its easier to pipe through, i have tried to stripe colour some myself and all the coloring stayed on the piping bag and didn’t transfer to the mixture during piping?
Curly says
Hi Laura, no I don’t. Which type of food colouring are you using? I use gel colouring and paint it on with a brush. When I have filled the piping bag with the meringue, I did gently squeeze the sides to make sure the food colouring makes contact with the meringue.
Tasha says
I wasn’t too clear on how big these were supposed to be as I thought kisses were mouthful size? They didn’t take 50mins at that size though.
Anyway that’s not really important because these are divine! Whole tray disappeared at light speed once everyone got a taste. I changed the sugar to icing sugar as that dissolves quicker. Thanks for sharingx
Curly says
Yes you’re right they’re meant to be quite small, maybe 2-3cm in width. I’m so pleased they turned out well and you liked them. Haha that’s the only problem! They’re so tasty they don’t last long!
Sam says
Any tips for getting these perfect? Everytime I try, it burns and turns spongey what am I doing wrong haha
Curly says
Oh no! If your oven definitely 100c? I would recommend checking that it is if possible because they definitely shouldn’t burn at that temperature. I have lots of other tips in the post.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I have a soft spot for meringues, and these are so dainty and pretty! THANK YOU so much for linking up to #CookBlogShare – Karen 🙂
Curly says
Thanks Karen 🙂
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, these look amazing, like the colour of them as well 🙂
Curly says
Thank you 🙂
Janice says
I’ve made a lot of meringues but I’ve never made stripy ones. It’s such a pretty effect, a real showstopper.
Curly says
Thanks Janice, it makes them even prettier!
Jessie says
I tried this recipe yesterday, and the end result was even more delicious and appealing than I had hoped. My children love Meringue Kisses I made. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us.
Curly says
Thanks so much Jessie, I’m so pleased you all liked them 🙂