Though I’m not a big fan of meringue cookies, they are a good way to use leftover egg whites. Whipping egg whites and sugar into a light dessert such as meringues (habcsók) sounds easy, however, there’s a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. I had tried several recipes with little success before I found one that worked for me.

Sugar and egg whites are technically the only ingredients you need, but acid and starch may improve your meringue’s quality significantly. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue by keeping it stable. Cornstarch prevents meringue from weeping by soaking up any liquid left in the mixture. Starch is especially helpful in hot, humid weather when meringue is most likely to absorb extra moisture.

Meringue cookies are generally baked at 100°C / 212°F for about 2 hours, they slowly dry out in a low oven without gaining much or any color. As I don’t like dried-out meringues, I looked for a recipe, that results in cookies that are crispy and chewy at the same time. Therefore, my meringues were baked at 130°C / 266°F for only 30 minutes.