Merenguitos (Meringue Kisses), are the most delicious tiny spanish treats and are perfect for the holidays! Making merenguitos takes me back to my childhood when I would spend countless hours in the kitchen with my aunt from Texas cooking. She was the one who actually taught me how to make meringue kisses. She would actually make the meringue, grab a spoonful and use a torch to cook the meringue and eat it straight off the spoon. It’s a “I can’t wait for these to cook in the oven” type of thing.
How do you make merenguitos?
Patience. That is the main component to making these delicious snacks. It takes some time for the egg whites to actually become stiff.
Separate your egg whites: This part is extremely important. You want to have clean hands for this to avoid adding any oils to the egg white. I like to crack the egg in one bowl, and then separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and transfer them to separate bowls.
Whipping your egg whites: Before you start beating your egg whites, add the cream of tartar. Then start beating them on a low speed and slightly increase the speed. You are going to notice that the egg whites start forming large foam bubbles, the more you beat it the smaller the bubbles become and it begins to look like a soft foam. At this point you are going to slowly add your sugar as you continuously whip the eggs. Once all your sugar is added, continue to whip the eggs until you have stiff meringue. At this point, stir in your vanilla extract. One way to see if it is stiff enough is to see if you have stiff peaks. Another more daring way is to flip the bowl over. If nothing falls out of the bowl, then your meringue is stiff enough. Add any food coloring once stiff.
Soft peaks 
Stiff peaks
Bake your meringues: Once done, pipe the meringues onto a baking tray to your desired shape. Cook them in the oven at 225F for about 50 minutes. You will notice that the meringues become stiff and almost dry. They should not be sticky. If they are sticky that means they require more time in the oven. Another way to see if they are done is seeing how easily they come off the baking sheet. They should just pop off.
What type of bowl should I use?
I recommend either using a glass or metal bowl. I would avoid plastic at all costs. The reason for this is because plastic holds grease and prior residue from the food that was in the container even if you clean it. Glass or metal does not. Grease or any other food substance no matter how small will not allow the egg whites to actually become stiff.
What is cream of tartar and why is it important to make Merenguitos (Meringue Kisses)?
Cream of tartar is an acidic salt that acts as a stabilizer when you are whipping egg whites. It allows the egg whites to stay stiff after being whipped for a longer period of time. You will notice that if you don’t use cream of tartar, meringue starts to break apart and become watery quickly.
What is the ratio of cream of tartar to egg white?
I like to use ⅛-¼ of a tsp of cream of tartar per egg white that I am whipping.
Merenguitos (Meringue Kisses)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Food coloring of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225F.
- Separate your egg yolks from your egg whites. Place the egg whites in a large glass or metal bowl and add your cream of tartar.
- Begin whipping your egg whites on low speed, and progressively work your way up to medium speed until they become foamy and begin turning white. Soft peaks should be starting to form. About 3 minutes.
- At this point, slowly start adding in your sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, making sure to continuously be whipping your eggs. About 3 minutes.
- When all the sugar is added, continue to whip until the meringue is stiff. When you pull the mixer out, a stiff peak should form. Also, if you flip the bowl upside down, the meringue should not fall out of the bowl. It takes about 5-8 minutes to get to this point after the sugar is added.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and any food coloring at this point.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag and pipe into desired shape.
- Bake the meringues for about 50 minutes until they are light, crispy, and easily come off the parchment paper. They should not be sticky. If they are, continue to bake.
- Enjoy!
