Mini Meringues

Free

Difficulty: Low
Time: 20 minutes (plus cooking/drying time approximately 4 hours)
Quantity: 130 pieces
Type: Snacks and Small Pastries
Dietary requirements: Nut-free Gluten-free Cream-free Vegan

Ingredients

100 g aquafaba

100 g granulated sugar

Replacing eggs in pastry is still a taboo for many people, however there are some ingredients that are gradually becoming more used and consequently better known, such as aquafaba, that is the cooking water of chickpeas. Today we will use it to replace egg whites and make classic meringues. A basic pastry preparation and we will need only two ingredients aquafaba and sugar. Using a stand mixer makes the job easier but electric beaters are fine too; I will use them to show that it is possible to use them and obtain a nice meringue. Be patient, aquafaba does not whip in 2 minutes. How to obtain aquafaba: it is possible to make it at home, but if you want consistent results and to be sure it whips well, buy a jar of cooked chickpeas, drain them keeping the water in the jar. Use this water instead of egg whites.

Method

Preheat the static oven to 90˚C. Prepare 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Weigh the aquafaba in one bowl and the granulated sugar in another. Start whipping at high speed with the beaters. After a couple of minutes when air begins to be incorporated, add the granulated sugar little by little while continuing to whip. The sugar should not be added all at once, but one tablespoon at a time as you whip.

Continue whipping at high speed for several minutes until you obtain a white glossy meringue. When lifting the beaters, white peaks should form. The meringue is ready when, turning the bowl upside down, it stays in place and does not fall. It will take between 5 and 10 minutes to whip it well.

Transfer the meringue into a piping bag with a decorative tip of your choice; the one used in this recipe is a closed star n11. To make the parchment adhere well to the baking sheet and prevent it from moving, make a mini dollop of meringue in each corner and place the parchment on top.

Pipe the meringues making small dollops all the same size. Make many small meringues until the mixture is finished. No need to space them much as they do not grow much during baking.

Bake, or rather dry, the meringues in the oven at 90˚C for about 4 hours, with the vent open or placing a spoon in the door to let moisture escape. You can use a fan oven if the fan is not too powerful, but a static oven is fine; the important thing is to place a spoon in the door to let moisture escape.

They must be well dried and come off the parchment paper. Time varies based on meringue size. It is important that the T is low, to avoid cracks and to prevent them from turning yellow. Turn off the oven, open it and let them cool completely inside.

Storage

Meringues must not absorb humidity or be stored in the fridge otherwise they become sticky. Store them in an airtight container, in a cool dry place; even better if you place silica gel packets (available online) inside the container to absorb moisture. They can be stored for more than 1 month if kept optimally.

Tips

If you have problems whipping aquafaba I recommend reading this article where I give some tips and mistakes to avoid to whip it better. Do not reduce the amount of sugar, otherwise the whipped mixture will be less stable. It is recommended to read these articles: - which ingredients to use - where to buy pastry ingredients and products