FOOLPROOF EGGLESS (VEGAN) MERINGUES – a TUTORIAL

Ingredients

• Liquid from one can of chickpeas (2/3 – 3/4 cup. If your chickpeas have more or less liquid, please adjust to make it in this range)
• 1 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or other flavoring of your choice, please see notes)

Directions

1. Make sure your mixing bowl, whisk and all utensils are super clean and free from any residual oils. Don’t use plastic bowls.
2. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. This recipe makes a lot! Really, however many baking sheets your oven can hold is how many you should prep. I usually do an additional parchment lined brownie pan or any other pan that will fit in my oven with the baking sheets.
3. If you are going to be piping them, prepare your piping bag and tips. You can also just scoop dollops onto the prepared sheets.
4. Mix the vanilla extract into your sugar and set aside.
5. Add your chickpea liquid to the mixing bowl.
6. Turn mixer to med-high [so the liquid doesn’t spray out of the bowl – learned that by experience :-)] and beat for 1 minute.
7. Add the cream of tartar and beat until medium peaks (whisk leaves a trail through the mixture but not so stiff it stands upright) with the mixer on the highest speed.
8. Slowly, one tablespoon at a time, waiting at least 30 seconds between each addition, add the sugar while the mixer is still going. Do this until all the sugar is gone, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl so no sugar is left there.
9. You will notice the change in consistency in the meringue. It will now be super thick and glossy and have tripled in size.
10. Stop the mixer and take a little bit of the meringue and rub it between your fingers. If there is any graininess, the sugar has not been fully incorporated. Beat it for as long as necessary to eliminate the graininess. Don’t worry, you can’t over-beat aquafaba meringue!
11. Pipe or scoop your meringue onto the prepared baking sheets and put in the oven for 2 hours. Do not open the oven.
12. After the 2 hours is up, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there to dry for at least another hour (you can open the oven and look at them now, but don’t let too much heat escape – they still need to dry). Two hours is better, overnight is good too. They are done when they are completely dry and peel off the parchment paper easily.
13. Dip in chocolate, eat plain, crumble for an Eaton Mess, layer like a Pavlova, make into Ice Cream Sandwiches or create a new awesome meringue dessert :-).
14. Store in an airtight container.