Meringue Cookies Swirled With Jam

Meringue Cookies Swirled With Jam

Ingredients :

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pinch salt (optional)
Food coloring (optional)
1 cup (about 340 grams) jam, jelly, or preserves

Directions :

1. Heat the oven to 325°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Prepare your French meringue as directed by the recipe. Use a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop (about ¼ cup) to scoop heaping mounds of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 1 1/2 inches of space between each, because you’ll be spreading the mounds flatter.

3. Use a small offset spatula (or the back of a spoon) to flatten the mounds and make them into circles. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of jam onto the meringue, then use the tip of a paring knife (or a skewer) to lightly swirl it into the meringue.

4. Transfer the trays to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 250°F, and bake until the meringue are dry to the touch (the jam will melt slightly into the cookie). It should take about 1 hour, but may take slightly longer in moist or humid weather to appropriately dry out (up to 1 ½ hours). When the meringues are dry, turn off the oven and allow them to cool completely inside the oven (this helps to keep them dry by not subjecting them to a drastic temperature change).