29Nov
10

Miraculous Vegan Meringue Cookies

 

I used to love meringue cookies. But I couldn’t make them anymore without eggs. Then I saw a recipe that used EnerG egg replacer. The cookies looked yummy, but they were GROSS! I tried a few other things. Nothing would whip like egg whites. But I finally found a secret ingredient: Versawhip 600. Now my meringue cookies look AND taste delicious!

Yummy meringue

Yummy meringue

Vegan Meringue Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp Versawhip 600
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp flavor extract (try vanilla, orange, or coffee)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pour water and VersaWhip into a large metal or glass mixing bowl.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed until frothy, then increase speed to high.  Whip until soft peaks form.
  3. Combine xanthan gum and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually beat into Versawhip until stiff peaks form. Add flavor extract and beat briefly to incorporate.
  4. Drop meringue mix by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheet, or pipe it on using a pastry bag with a large tip.
  5. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until completely dry and firm to the touch.
  6. Let cool, then remove carefully from parchment paper.  Meringue cookies should be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. If they begin to soften, they can be crisped again by baking at 200 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes.
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  1. orangold says:
    January 24, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    Hi, you’re meringues look great. I’ve also been experimenting with vegan meringues. My recipe uses soy protein isolate which also whips really well as I can’t get Versawhip. Just a question about your meringues, are they hollow on the inside or do they have a nice honeycomby texture like you see on tv – they don’t look hollow to me. Also have you had any success with making a meringue pie topping?

  2. admin says:
    January 24, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    Orangold, my meringues are not hollow. My first few tries were at higher temperatures. I did have one batch that came out flat. I started it at a higher temperature to cook faster. Maybe a lower temperature for longer would help yours. I haven’t been able to get a meringue topping. Maybe soon :)

  3. Janie says:
    January 28, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    hi there. i’m having some versawhip sent to me by a vegan friend so i can make him meringue cookies. having never been vegan i dont know the first thing about baking vegan, but i’ve baked meringues since i was old enough to hold a whisk. why is xanthan gum used in the recipe? is that the same as using cream of tartar? is there something else i can use since this is an experimental thing for me?

    thanks for your help!

  4. admin says:
    January 28, 2010 at 8:51 pm

    Janie, the xanthan gum helps the foam last longer. It also makes it stronger. I wouldn’t recommend cream of tarter. I tried it with a recipe I’m working on now. The taste was very bitter! Look for xanthan gum with gluten-free baking products. You could also try guar gum. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard it works the same way. You could also try making meringue without xanthan gum. The taste would be almost the same. I think you might end up with bigger holes in your meringues. I’d love to hear how it turns out! Good luck!

  5. Janie says:
    February 3, 2010 at 2:35 am

    WOW! So…I made the meringues with the versawhip and just had a negative nancy attitude towards the results. The taste seemed…odd to me. Mostly I think it’s because I’m not used to the taste of soy in any form. But WOW!!! I brought them to a friend of mine who is vegan by necessity, and she LOVED them! I had made some with vanilla extract and some with vegan mini choco chips. I even gave them to her roomies who are not at all vegan, and they loved ‘em too!!!! It was recommended to me to sell them to a local co-op in san francisco. It’s a thought, but not just yet. I’m bringing them to my friend Todd who bought the versawhip for me to make them for him. I hope he likes them as well.

    I made double your recipe and it made close to 250 cookies. The cookies I make are usually one bites. I’m so excited!!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!

  6. admin says:
    February 5, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Janie,
    I’m so happy they worked out for your friends! I know what you mean about the taste. I think I remember what real meringues taste like. The vegan ones are not quite right. But they are close enough for now! I will keep working on the recipe. I like using a stronger flavoring, like almond or coffee extract. I like your ideas of chocolate chips!

  7. Janie says:
    February 6, 2010 at 1:17 am

    I will work on another batch next week. I’m hoping to try a different flavor. Everyone loved the choco chips. I’ve even gotten organic powdered sugar with tapioca starch instead of corn starch. Apparently that makes a difference when baking vegan. I’m learning so many new things. Thanks again for the recipe. My next flavor is going to be lemon. The house down the street has a lemon tree and they let me have them for free. I can’t wait! If it works well, I’ll give you the measurements so you can try it too. :-)

  8. admin says:
    February 6, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    Lemon… Sounds yummy!!! How lucky to get free lemons!

  9. Janie says:
    February 12, 2010 at 6:50 pm

    I just wanted to share my latest round of vegan meringue cookies. I increased the vanilla and made them 1 bite size (about the size of a nickle).
    http://tweetphoto.com/11185813
    I hope you will be able to see it. Thanks again for the recipe!

  10. admin says:
    February 17, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    So CUTE, Janie!

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