The Two-Ingredient French Dessert So Simple Even You Can Make It

By Ike Spry

What if I told you that you could make a simple French dessert, and you’ll always have the ingredients for it? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I know how laborious homemade desserts and pastries can be. There’s the requirement of elaborate cookware, expensive ingredients, and the constant fear of messing up. 

The French meringue is probably the simplest dessert you could ever make. All you need is eggs and sugar; yes, that’s it. This dessert, although simple, can take some time and technique, but I’ll walk you through how to make this dessert perfectly every time. 

• First prepare a baking sheet with parchment, and preheat the oven to 225 F. 

• Then, separate egg whites from their yolks; this is a simple step but easy to mess up. You need to make sure that there is no egg yolk mixed in, as it can prevent the whites from whipping. The ratio between egg whites and sugar is traditionally a 1:2 ratio; you can use less, but it may result in a collapsing meringue. 

• Now, you can whip the meringues with just a whisk, but it may take a long time. It is recommended that you use an electric hand whisk or stand mixer, but neither are necessary. All you need is a whisk, but I recommend getting some helpers if you do so. Some recipes recommend stabilizers like cream of tartar, lemon juice, or salt. But, I don’t these are necessary for the home cook. 

• Once the egg whites start foaming, gradually add the sugar by spoonful. About ¼ cup white sugar per egg white. The whipping process will take a different amount of time depending on your mixing utensil, but you know when you’re done when you can put the mixing bowl over your head without the meringue falling over. You can pipe the meringue onto the prepared baking dish with a piping bag, but a spoon will also do. 

• Now, bake the meringue cookies for one hour. It is also worth noting that you can take them out to cool immediately after the hour is finished for a chewier cookie. But, if you would like more traditional meringue cookies, leave them in the oven for another 1-2 hours with the oven off.

And, voila, that is how you can make a delicious French dessert that you will almost always have the ingredients for. Hopefully, you’ll love them as much as I do.