Cooking with Kaylie: Espresso Infused Meringue Cookies

I recently decided that my mission in life is going to be finding ways to incorporate coffee and espresso into everyday foods. After all, who wants to limit their caffeine intake to mornings?! So, the first recipe I wanted to tackle was Espresso Infused Meringue Cookies from the Happy Good Times Blog. I think now would be the appropriate time to point out that these meringues didn't turn out how I think they were supposed to. They were still good (seriously!), but I think I lack the necessary skills to create this lovechild of baked goods and candy. Also, I may or may not follow directions well...

Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon finely ground espresso or coffee beans (we used Velton's Twilight Blend)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (I used powdered, but I don't think that's necessary)

Directions

• Allow whites to come to room temperature (about 20 minutes)
• Clean and dry your mixing bowl
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees F
• Stir together sugar, espresso grounds and vanilla - set aside
• Using a mixer, beat whites on low speed until foamy
• Sprinkle cream of tartar and salt over foamy whites
• Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until medium peaks form
• Increase mixer speed to high, and add sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time
• When stiff, glossy peak form, spoon meringue onto your prepared baking sheet
• Bake for 60-70 minutes in the top third of your oven
• Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet
• Store in an air-tight container for about 3 days.

After reading through that, and seeing my pictures, you may have a couple of questions. Questions like: 'Kaylie, did you use bottled egg whites instead of fresh ones?' or 'That sounds like a lot of meringue mixture; did you double the recipe?' The answer to both of those questions is yes, that is exactly what I did! Remember what I said about not following directions? Well, it's not that I don't follow them so much as I try to take shortcuts. Shortcuts which may or may not ruin the finished product. How so? Well, the meringues were very delicate on the outside and soft on the inside. Not fluffy soft, more like 'too heavy to rise so it sunk to the bottom' soft. The result? Something like hollow egg shells that were nearly impossible to keep intact while removing them from the baking sheet. The crew here at Seattle Coffee Gear still ate them, cutting the sweetness with an iced latte (courtesy of Brandi). I just wish they had turned out pretty and delicious. If there are any readers with mad meringue-making skills, please let me know what I did wrong! I'd love to try these again and have them turn out. In the meantime, I will just need to redeem myself with next week's recipe ... Wish me luck.