4-Ingredient Egg-Free Meringue Cookies Made With Aquafaba
Looking for an easy egg-free meringue cookie recipe? These cotton-candy flavored meringue cookies are made with aquafaba (juice drained from cooked chickpeas). It whips up in minutes, then you dry them slowly in a dehydrator or oven.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ¾ cup aquafaba (plain strained juice from can of chickpeas)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon alcohol based flavor extract such as lemon, vanilla, or almond
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Instructions
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Line baking sheets or dehydrator trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Wipe down mats & bowls with vinegar to make sure no oil remains.
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Shake a 15-oz can of chickpeas. Using a mesh strainer measure out ¾ cup aquafaba (juice from cooked chickpeas). Pour aquafaba into a small pan.
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Add ⅓ cup granulated sugar to the aquafaba & heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
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Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract & ½ teaspoon lemon juice, stirring to blend. Then pour the aquafaba syrup into a mixing bowl.
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Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, whip on medium speed until the mixture is foamy. Then turn the mixer up to high and whip until you get stiff peaks that keep their shape and don’t bend when you lift the whisk. (about 5-7 minutes)
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Place meringue dollops on lined baking sheets using a 1⅓ tablespoon cookie scoop, a large tablespoon or piping bag.
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Dehydrate cookies using oven or dehydrator set at 160°F. until cookies are dry and can be removed easily from lined trays. (This depends on temperature you're using, size of cookies, etc. It takes me about 3.5 hours.)
Recipe Notes
NOTE: Can use oven to dry instead of a dehydrator but at a temperature of less than 210°F. If your oven doesn't go that low keep the oven door ajar using a wooden spoon to lower heat inside the oven.
NOTES:
- Oil will keep your meringue cookies from fluffing or will make them fall. Make sure to use only alcohol-based flavoring extracts and wipe down trays, bowls, etc. with vinegar before proceeding to assure no oil residue is present.
- Cookies are best cooked / served the same day. Or cool completely and store in an airtight container such as sealed plastic bag to keep cookies from absorbing moisture out of the air. If they do become sticky, give them a quick stint in a150-160 degree oven to dry them out again.
OPTIONS:
Gel or powder food coloring will add color to cookies
Different flavors of extract are fun to flavor meringue cookies - vanilla, almond, lemon, etc. Just make sure it's an alcohol based extract with no oils.
Chopped nuts, candy canes or candies can be lightly sprinkled on top of meringue cookies before drying.