pumpkin spice merengue cookie recipe.

note: this recipe was originally posted on xoxo rebecca, but i thought id share it with you guys just in case anyone missed it.

hello everyone, hope youre having a great week! today im going to show you how to make merengue cookies. 

but first, a little background: in the meyers house, we eat a lot of hollandaise sauce. its probably my favorite thing ever and who doesnt love a dinner that involves an entire stick of butter? but the problem with hollandaise sauce is it requires three egg yolks, leaving you with three egg whites to try and not let go to waste. 

merengue cookies are FANTASTIC. why? because not only do they conveniently use up three otherwise wasted egg whites and some other ingredients im sure you already have in your pantry, theyre also gluten free and pretty healthy as far as cookies are concerned. also, theyre delicious. also also, its super easy to customize the flavor to your liking. 

since fall baking season is in full swing, i thought id give the basic merengue recipe a holiday spin by making these pumpkin spice merengue cookies:                                             

pumpkin spice merengue cookies:

ingredients:

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees and lining a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper (this is VERY important because the merengue is VERY sticky). next beat the egg whites  until theyre foamy (note: this is a VERY helpful time to own a kitchenaid), add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. now turn your mixer to its highest setting and add the sugar VERY SLOWLY (a tablespoon or two at a time), and beat until stiff peaks form. lastly beat in the vanilla and pumpkin pie spice (or whatever flavorings you prefer, just remember to keep it light because the merengues dont have much flavor of their own and whatever you add will be REALLY strong). youll know youre done when the merengue is stiff and white and glossy. next carefully spoon your finished merengue into a gallon bag with the corner clipped off (or a pastry bag with a large round tip if youre fancy), and pipe small (less than two inch) dots of merengue onto your lined baking sheet. bake for approximately two hours until the outsides start to crack, and let them cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet (trust me, they wont come off).

and thats it! hope you like it! also, please, PLEASE let me know if you try out any exciting new flavors in your merengues!