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There is nothing like a rich, melt-in-your mouth cream pie topped with mile high, golden brown peaks of homemade meringue topping. Do you cringe at the thought of making meringue? Read on to see just how easy it is to whip up!

Light-as-air, homemade meringue topping literally melts in your mouth! You know what is crazy? I have several friends who are so intimidated by the thought of making meringue, they would rather use whipped cream on their pies.

Don’t get me wrong, homemade whipped cream is delicious on pies. However, I could not imagine eating a lemon meringue pie without meringue! Can you?

If you have never had meringue, you are going to love it! I have never met anyone who did not like it. If you are like me, you are going to want to create all sorts of amazing desserts to pile it on. Confession time. I can eat the whole bowl with a spoon (and not feel once ounce of guilt over doing so!).

Personally, I feel that meringue is one of the easiest things to make. Using my KitchenAid stand mixer, it literally takes just a few minutes to whip up a this delightful topping. (One of my favorite things about the stand mixer, is you can walk away and do something else while it does the mixing.)

The biggest fear of making meringue is it “weeping” after being baked on the pie filling. Weeping is when moisture collects between the meringue and the filling. Don’t let this worry stop you from making this delicious gluten-free topping. I have put together my “fool-proof” tips to help you make the perfect meringue topping:

Wash your mixing bowl and egg beaters in hot soapy water and rinse them in hot water. This will remove any grease residue which will prevent your egg whites from beating up.
Separate the eggs while they are cold. Be careful to make sure no egg yolk gets into the whites. Even a teeny speck of yolk will prevent the whites from beating up.
Once the eggs are separated, let the whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before beating.
Beat in the sugar gradually, add it in one tablespoon at a time.
Beat the meringue on high-speed until the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. Lift the beaters up to test.
The meringue should feel smooth and not gritty. Rub it between your thumb and forefinger to test.
Spread the meringue over hot filling. Bring it all the way up to the crust to seal. Sealing the meringue to the crust will also help prevent it from shrinking.
Cool baked meringue pies away from drafts.

Now that you have the tips for making the perfect meringue, let’s get the recipe!

Meringue Topping

Author: Bridget Towery|Baking with Bridget

Description

Glossy stiff peaks of meringue topping for all of your homemade pies!

Ingredients

3 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
6 Tablespoons cane sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to to 4oo°
Wash a 2 ½ quart mixing bowl, beaters rubber spatula and measuring spoons in hot soapy water and rinse in hot water. Dry completely before using.
In mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating on high speed until mixture is stiff and glossy.
Beat in vanilla extract.
Spoon on prepared pie filling, spreading meringue to the inside edge of pie crust.
Bake pie until meringue is a delicate golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes. Watch it close so it does not burn.
Cool pie away from drafts.