A delicious holiday treat, these low-carb peppermint meringues are light, fluffy and delicious! Paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free.
A delicious holiday indulgence
Meringues are something I never had much growing up. Once in a blue moon, one would make it’s way into my hands at a party, but I was always kind of indifferent to them.
Perhaps they just weren’t made too well, or I just thought they were overly sweet and kind of an odd texture.
But I made some with a friend one time while I was high school age and they turned out super well, and I have liked them ever since.
They’re not something I indulge in too often, as they take a long time, and they aren’t the world’s easiest dessert to make. I’ve failed at whipping up egg whites enough times to know that there’s definitely a science to it. You don’t want to do things in the wrong order here, or go off experimenting to see how you can improve it.
So trust me when I say that you should follow the recipe here pretty much exactly, at least until you have the basic meringue recipe down, then you can tweak it later down the road.
These peppermint meringues are worth the effort!
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Egg whites
- Cream of tartar
- Sweetener of choice such as monk fruit, a stevia blend or coconut sugar (for the paleo folks only). You want a sweetener that is about as sweet as granulated white sugar is.
- Peppermint extract
- Chocolate (optional, to dip the meringues in after cooking)
You’ll also need a mixing bowl and a hand mixer. A piping bag is optional, if you want the meringues to be more aesthetically-pleasing.
Start by adding the egg whites into a bowl. You want to ensure that there is no egg yolk in the bowl, or the meringue will not fluff up.
Add in the cream of tartar, and mix using a hand mixer for approximately 5 minutes, or until the egg whites form soft white peaks. Begin to mix in the sweetener, very slowly, one tablespoon at a time.
After gradually mixing in the sweetener, continue mixing until firm peaks have formed. At this point, the peppermint extract can be carefully mixed in. Be sure not to overmix, you only want to stir as much as is needed to disperse the extract.
Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or into a piping bag. Form into small drops, approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter.
Bake on a low temperature (I recommend 250F or 120C) for a good hour and then turn the oven off and leave them inside to continue cooking. Meringues can crack if they change temperature too quickly, which is why leaving them in the oven will bring them gradually to room temperature.
After an hour with the oven off, open it and check on the meringues. Move them to the stove to cool further. Once fully cooled, you can dip them in chocolate with added peppermint extract, if desired.
These store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to a week.
My meringue didn’t fluff up, what did I do wrong?
It is possible that you got some egg yolk into the bowl, which will prevent the meringue from fluffing up.
Alternatively, it could be that there was moisture or grease left in the mixing bowl or on your mixer. This can prevent the meringue from forming stiff peaks.
It could also be that you added the peppermint extract before it was fully fluffed up (ask me how I know this is a problem).
Lastly, it could be that you just didn’t mix enough. It takes a long time for the peaks to form, and if you give up too early, you just might not get to that point!
Can I add or substitute ingredients?
You will want to get the meringue very fluffy first, before you add anything else in. If you add ingredients too early, like the mint extract (trust me), it won’t turn out well. I would suggest only adding or changing things after the meringue is fully fluffed and you are ready to mix in the mint extract.
At this point, you could use another extract, or you can add in some chocolate chips or other ingredients. I suggest gently folding the ingredients in, and don’t overmix.
If you give these low-carb peppermint meringues a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
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Low-Carb Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients
Meringue
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 5 tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Optional Chocolate Base
- Sugar-free chocolate
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
For Meringue
- Preheat oven to 250F.
- To a mixing bowl, add egg whites, taking care to ensure that no egg yolk gets into the bowl.
- Use a hand mixer (with a whisk attachment, if possible), and mix on medium speed until egg whites are frothy (1-2 minutes). Add in cream of tartar and mix until fluffy, soft white peaks occur.
- Mix in sweetener one tablespoon at a time and pulse with hand mixer until dissolved. Repeat until all sweetener is used.
- Once stiff white peaks have formed, add in peppermint extract.
- Use a piping bag or a spoon to form circles approximately 1 inch in size (2.5 cm) with mixture on a baking sheet. Bake for one hour, then turn oven off and allow to sit for another hour to continue baking and to come up to room temperature.
- Take baking sheet out of oven after 2 hours total, and make sure meringues are at room temperature before serving or storing.
Optional Chocolate Mint Base
- If desired, for additional mint flavor and added chocolatey-ness, add chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts until fully-melted. Make sure to stir between bursts, and do not microwave longer than necessary to melt chocolate. Add in peppermint extract and stir to combine.
- Dip the bottom of the fully-cooled meringues into the chocolate. Allow to sit until chocolate is fully hardened.
- Store at room temperature for up to a week in an air-tight container.
