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Vanilla Almond Meringue Cookies

Rachel Sherwood

Vanilla Almond Meringue Cookies

If you decided to make some Homemade Eggnog, you must be wondering what to do with all the extra egg whites? It’s easy to mix up a batch or scramble egg whites, a frittata or an egg white quiche, but this time of year with the dry air it is perfect to make meringue. You can shape meringue into cookies, cups, or really any desired shape. It is difficult to make meringue in the summer as the warm humid air makes it hard for them to completely dry out. You will want to bake these meringues in a low slow oven to get them dry and crisp. Once they are dried out meringue can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year. Enjoy cookies as they are, dip in chocolate, fill cups with fresh fruit or crumble meringue over ice cream for fun texture. These simple treats can be enjoyed all year, but the cool winter months is the best time to be baking meringue.

Vanilla Almond Meringue Cookies

  • 8 egg whites
  • 4 ½ cups powder sugar
  • 1-teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar one cup at a time, whipping at medium speed gradually working up to high speed after all sugar is incorporated. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag or zip top bag.. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or a star tip.

Place the meringues in the oven, bake for 2.5-4 hours, until meringues can easily be removed from the pan and are completely dry. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

Easy Basic Cake Recipe

Easiest Basic Cake Ever

Rachel Sherwood

Easy Basic Cake Recipe

(Easy Basic Cake Recipe shown with Blueberry Sauce)

To be honest I am not much of a cake-lover but everyone needs an easy basic cake for last-minute parties or maybe just to satisfy a quick sweet tooth craving. I love this easy basic cake because it only uses a few ingredients that I almost always have on hand. There are no fancy mixing methods, it freezes extremely well and it can simply be transformed into so many unique flavors and applications that guests would never guess that you are continually serving the same basic cake recipe. This Easy Basic Cake has great flavor and texture, it’s rich and dense so it can hold a variety of toppings, but light enough to hold it’s own with the classic dusting of powder sugar for embellishment.

Vanilla Olive Oil Cake

  • 1 ½     cups                flour
  • 1/2      cup                  sugar
  • 1          teaspoon        baking powder
  • 1/4      teaspoon        baking soda
  • 1/4      teaspoon        salt
  • 1          cup                  honey or vanilla yogurt
  • 1/3      cup                  olive oil
  • 2          large               eggs
  • 2          teaspoons      vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and dust it with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, bake until light golden and a toothpick comes out clean; about 30-40 min.

Let the cake cool in pan for 5 min then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with powder sugar or drizzle or make it your own with one of the suggestions below.

For variations of this cake try one of these and make it yours.

  • Use almond, orange or lemon extract in place for half of the vanilla.
  • Add citrus zest from lemon, limes or oranges.
  • Serve with warmed fruit preserves or compote.
  • Bake in a loaf pan (this will take 5-10 minutes longer to bake) I love to slice it like pound cake or use it in a trifle. (You can also take a slice off a frozen loaf and toast it with butter for super quick treat.)
  • Split the cake in half and fill with Fresh Raspberry Sauce or lightly drizzle with liquor like limoncello, amaretto or Grand Marnier.
  • Served with whipped cream and berries.
  • Top with chocolate or Carmel sauce.
  • Sprinkle powder sugar glaze with toasted coconut or nuts.