Sweet Little Rainbow Meringues, perfect for Spring :) Gluten Free Treats

These sweet little rainbow meringues are just in time for spring, St. Patrick’s Day (and Easter)! They’re great for big spring celebrations as the recipe makes a lot and it’s fun to get the kids involved too! Another fun idea for the rainbow meringues is putting them in a pot of gold (in a painted gold pot with the meringues bursting out of them).

I like to serve my meringues with fresh whipping cream, either sandwiching the meringue cookies together with the cream in the middle or just in a small bowl with meringues, a dollop of cream and some fruit.

Tips

If you’ve never made meringues (or sweet little rainbow meringues) before, or are not familiar with the term glossy stiff peaks – I made sure to attach some images that will help you out. Whipping up your egg whites and making your meringues are pretty simple as there are only 2 ingredients, but there are a few helpful tips to get your meringues to set and bake without flopping.

Always work with a clean metal bowl and whisk, if there is any grease residue your meringue won’t whip to stiff peaks and will collapse.
If you get egg yolk in your egg whites toss them out and start over. Again your meringue won’t whip to stiff peaks and will collapse.
When adding your sugar to your egg whites make sure to add the sugar very slowly, one tablespoon at a time.
Always use superfine sugar (castor sugar, instant sugar, fruit sugar) and make sure there are no large lumps.
Use the convection setting on your oven if possible. And always bake your meringues at a low temperature.
Never open the oven door to check on your meringues, as they will crack when the cooler air hits them.
When the meringues are finished baking, turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly until the temperature gradually comes down to room temperature. Or leave the meringues in the oven overnight to dry out.

If you’d like some helpful tips on separating egg whites, check out my Chocolate Cherry Pavlova post.

How to make rainbow swirls

Now here comes the fun part, adding the food colour to make your white meringues into rainbow swirls! Set out a large tall glass and turn your piping bag inside out. Place the piping bag over the tall glass so you have a tall supported column. Turn the bottom edges up and place some paper towels inside to catch the drippings of the food colouring. Starting at the top of the piping bag, drop one or two drops of food colouring so it runs down the side of the bag. Continue this using multiple colours until you have a rainbow of food colouring running down the piping bag. You can also paint the sides of the bag if you’re using gel food colouring. See images below for reference.

Once you’re done colouring the piping bag, take out the paper towel and very carefully add your meringue to the bag (make sure you have your star tip already in the bag). Twist the top closed and start piping rosettes. Each rosette will come out different colours of the rainbow. Just watch the magic of colours changing as you pipe!

So if you’re looking for something a little different to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I hope you will try these rainbow meringues. They are not only a cute idea for St. Patrick’s Day but would also be great for Easter too! You could stick to pastel colours and make egg shapes or little rabbits!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day, wear something green and bake some sweet little over the rainbow meringues. 😉

Adding food colour to piping bag to achieve rainbow effect

Rainbow Meringues

Print Recipe

Making rainbow meringues is fun and easy, and the best part is you can make them days ahead. They are light and airy like puffs of clouds. Serve meringues with fresh whipping cream, either sandwiched together or enjoy meringues in a small bowl with a dollop of cream and some fruit. The recipe is gluten free.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
Yield: 42 Meringues 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar, sifted if needed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
food colouring

Filling/Topping

1 cup whipping cream (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 230˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
Slowly and gradually add your superfine sugar, raise the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form and are glossy (approx. 5 mins.). Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Set meringue mixture aside.
Meanwhile, fit a piping bag with a star tip. Set out a large tall glass and turn your piping bag inside out. Place the piping bag over the tall glass so you have a tall supported column. Turn the bottom edges up and place a small piece of paper towel inside the tip to catch the drippings of the food colouring (small enough to pull through the star tip).
Starting at the top of the piping bag, drop one or two drops of food colouring so it runs down the side of the bag. Continue this using multiple colours until you have a rainbow of food colouring running down the piping bag. You can also paint the side of the bag if you’re using gel food colouring.
Now take out the paper towel and very carefully add your meringue to the bag (If you took a long time to colour your piping bag you may need to re-whip your meringue again). Twist the top closed and start piping rosettes, approx. 1 inch in diameter on your prepared baking sheets (approx. 1-2 inches apart).
Place your baking sheets in the oven and bake for 1.5 hours (make sure not to open the oven door and check). Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool and dry out.
When the meringues are cool and you are ready to serve them, whip up whipping cream, adding vanilla and icing sugar. Sandwich two cookies together with cream in the middle. Or serve cookies with a dollop of cream on the side.