Say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day with 3 dozen blush pink strawberry meringue roses. Your valentine will love these strawberry meringue cookies, made with natural color and flavor!
Valentine's Day is going to be extra sweet this year since I'll get to celebrate with not one but TWO handsome guys! I'm looking forward to extra snuggles with Cameron on his first Valentine's Day, and I got him a cute little book (Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar) for a special Valentine's Day story time. Alex and I tend to prefer a low key Valentine's Day, so we'll be celebrating with a nice, home cooked meal and all the chocolate we can get our hands on.
These meringue roses are such a fun Valentine treat! The light-as-air meringue is a nice departure from the richness of all the chocolatey treats we'll surely be eating. AND these strawberry meringue cookies are naturally flavored and made without food coloring! The strawberry flavor and beautiful pink hue come from freeze-dried strawberries, which are ground into a powder and mixed with the sugar.
The rose shape is deceptively easy to pipe. Using a piping bag and star piping tip (I used a Wilton 1M piping tip), you'll simply pipe the meringue in a tight swirl shape, starting at the center and circling outward. When you're finished piping each rose, pull the bag away horizontally instead of lifting the bag straight up so that you don't end up with any small peaks that would be more likely to burn in the oven. And though the meringue roses will be beautiful on their own, adding some edible pearl "sprinkles" (like these) will give them a little extra something!
Strawberry Meringue Roses
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen meringue cookies 1x
Description
Say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day with 3 dozen blush pink strawberry meringue roses. Your valentine will love these strawberry meringue cookies, made with natural color and flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature (see step 1 in recipe below)
- ⅛ cup powdered freeze-dried strawberries (see step 2 in recipe below)
- ⅜ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- edible pearl “sprinkles” (optional)
Instructions
- Separate your egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are still cold from the fridge. (It’s easiest to separate the eggs when they’re cold.) Let the egg whites come to room temperature.
- Place freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor and blend until they become a fine powder. Measure ⅛ cup of the freeze-dried strawberry powder and combine with the sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Wash and dry a large, metal bowl to ensure that it’s completely free of grease. Add the room temperature egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to the bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, stir the egg mixture on low speed until it becomes frothy. Then beat the mixture on high speed until it is no longer translucent and has doubled in volume.
- Continue to beat the egg mixture on high speed while gradually adding the sugar mixture 1 Tablespoon at a time. Wait 10 seconds between adding each spoonful of sugar. (Adding the sugar too quickly could deflate the meringue.) Continue to beat the mixture until it becomes thick and stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used a Wilton 1M piping tip). Holding the bag upright, pipe a tight swirl, beginning in the center and circling outward to create a rose shape. When you finish piping each rose, pull the bag away to the side rather than straight up to avoid creating any small peaks that could burn in the oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking. When the meringues are finished baking, turn off the oven but still do not open the oven door. Allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 1 hour before removing the baking sheets from the oven.
- After baking, decorate the meringue roses with edible pearls (if using).
Notes
Meringue cookies are best when eaten fresh. If not eating right away, store in an airtight container for up to a day.
- Category: Desserts
Keywords: meringue, meringue cookies, meringue roses, strawberry meringue
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