Rose Infused Meringue with Pistachio Dust
I found out a couple weeks ago that I have to move by the end of September. What’s that you said, you love moving? I know with the support of my family, friends and a nice bottle of Hendrick’s gin I will make it through this, but I was definitely caught off guard when I got the news.
Rose Infused Meringue with Pistachio Dust
So what was the first thing I did when I got this upsetting news (besides calling my mom for some sympathy!)? Baked all weekend! There’s no therapy quite like food therapy and how could anybody feel down when they are a eating a light, fluffy cloud infused with the flavor of roses and dusted with pistachios! Not me.
Rose Infused Meringue with Pistachio Dust
I felt so much better after I made these lovely cookies, using my brand new, gigantor Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (purchased a week prior to finding I have to move, and a week after writing about essential tools for a tiny kitchen). But I don’t regret it one bit – whipping those egg whites with sugar into clouds that are so light they dissolve the moment they meet your tongue never felt better.
Pastry Bag? No way – use a big ziploc bag and cut off the tip!
These meringues are a play on the classic flourless cookie infused with a slight hint of rose. You can find rosewater in most major grocery stores in the ethnic food aisle.
Rose-Infused Meringue Cookies – ready for the oven!
They can be garnished with some pistachios pulsed in the food processor or other nuts you’ve pulsed in the food processor for a few minutes – or just serve plain. They are a light, fluffy delight either way but the nuts add an extra crunch, flavor and look beautiful.
Rose Infused Meringue with Pistachio Dust
- 4 egg whites, at room temp
- 1 cup of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- ⅓ cup of shelled pistachios (optional)
- To prepare: start a double boiler, put wax paper on two cookie sheets and also preheat your oven to 200 F.
- Combine the egg whites and the cream of tartar. The cream of tartar will stabilize the egg whites and make sure they don't lose their shape or fall - particularly important in humid conditions.
- Put the egg white mixture in a glass bowl over your double boiler and add the sugar. Stir with a whisk constantly until all the sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes or so).
- Transfer the egg white - sugar mixture to your stand mixer.
- Start your mixer with the whisk attachment on the lowest setting for a minute, then bump it up to medium for another minute. Now is where the fun starts...
- Increase the mixer speed to the highest and whip the sh*t out of it for about another 8-10 minutes until you have stiff peaks.
- Add in your rosewater and mix for another 30 seconds or so.
- Scoop your thick mixture into a large ziploc bag (or pastry bag if you're fancy). This part gets messy so have some paper towels or a rag on hand!
- Cut the end off the ziploc bag for piping - depending on what shape you want your meringues you might cut it smaller or bigger.
- Pipe out your cookies - I went simple and basically made a Hershey's Kiss shape. You may have to use two cookie sheets.
- Pulse your pistachios in a food processor for about 30 seconds until there are no large chunks and sprinkle over your meringues. Marvel at it's beauty.
- Bake your cookies low and slow for about 1.5 - 2.5 hours. You'll know they're ready when they lift off the parchment paper without any struggle or mess. I'd recommend checking every 30 minutes starting at 1 hour.
- Let your cookies cool IN the oven - simply turn it off and let the cookies sit there for another 1-2 hours.
- Enjoy right away or store in an air tight container for a week or two!
Rose Infused Meringues with Pistachio Dust
Delicious (I know as you’ve shared them with me!) and beautiful photography!
Thank you my dear friend 🙂
Ohhhh…these confections were as good as they look (thanks!)!
Thanks for the endorsement 🙂
These meringue cookies look stunning, Ahu. Gorgeous clicks, I love esp. the 2nd shot.
Have a lovely weekend!
Angie
Thank you Angie! Slowly working on my photography skills! 🙂
Simply gorgeous photography!
Thanks Andrea – this means a lot coming from you! 🙂
Maybe you’ll get a giant kitchen in your new place! GREG
Wouldn’t that be nice, although it is bigger than the old place! 🙂
These are so impressive! Also good for you finding an alternative to pastry bags!
It’s all about improvising! 😀
The instruction say add vanilla and rosewater, but I don’t see vanilla on the ingredients list.
Good catch, just updated it! No vanilla needed, just rosewater 🙂
Ahu – Mark (and I) will absolutely love these! W both love meringues as a light dessert, and are both rose water fanatics. And the addition of pistachios? Even better! I can’t wait till I have a recipe that only calls for yolks!!
PS – I like Greg’s idea. Get a big kitchen!
I always get excited when my recipes work for you and Mark , yay! I hope you try them and enjoy these cookies 🙂
These are beautiful. I can see why making them made you feel better! I want to move somewhere warm, but I hate thinking about the logistics of it all. So much work!
Thanks Laura! Definitely avoid moving if you can! Although I can see the allure of warmer weather 🙂
Sorry you have to move. i dread having to do that as well. I really love your meringues. The perfect accompaniment to anything is Pistachios
The chef/author was good enough to share a sample with me, and I can testify to their scrumdidillyumptiousness. And excellent photos, Ahu!
Oh yum, very elegant and enticing. I like the pistachio dust idea too – will have to try that!!
These. are. lovely. Well done, Ahu!
I made these for a bake sale and they were an absolute hit! Thank you for the great directions, they were easy to follow, even though I had never made meringues before. I’m going to do these in different flavors like lemon and raspberry next. Thanks again!
Laura, your comment made my day, thank you so much for stopping by! I’m so glad the cookies worked out and you enjoyed them! Lemon and raspberry sounds awesome, I would love to see how they come out!
HoW MANY DOES THIS RECIPIE MAKE?