Festive meringues with cranberries
Recipe for sweet meringues with cream and cranberry fruit jelly
Festive meringues with cranberries offer lightness in every bite, where a crispy and sweet meringue meets juicy cranberries and aromatic orange. This meringue recipe creates a unique combination of sweetness and tartness, perfect for the festive table. Sweet meringue cookies combined with orange and cranberry create an excellent blend of flavors that everyone will surely enjoy!
Table of content
Festive meringues with cranberries step-by-step recipe
If you are looking for an idea for a perfect festive dessert, you must try this meringue recipe.
Christmas meringues with cranberries and orange recipe with video
Składniki
meringue ingredients
- 6 egg whites (- from size L eggs – mine weighed 225 g)
- 300 g sugar (- 1.5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
- 1 teaspoon wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
cranberry and orange fruit filling ingredients
- 200 g cranberries
- 100 g sugar (- half a cup – or to taste)
- approx 150 ml orange juice (- for me, squeezed from two oranges)
- orange zest (from two oranges)
- 1 teaspoon potato starch (+ a little water)
cream frosting ingredients
- 300 ml heavy cream (well chilled)
- 100 g mascarpone cheese (cold)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
meringue decoration ingredients
- fresh cranberries
- orange slices
- Christmas chocolates
Instrukcja
How to make meringues step by step
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees in convection mode.
- Pour the egg whites into a large mixer bowl and start whisking until they are slightly fluffy.6 egg whites
- Then increase the mixing speed and gradually add sugar – mix until the sugar is well dissolved and the egg whites turn white and become thick.300 g sugar
- Then add potato starch and vinegar or lemon juice to the egg whites and mix briefly.1 teaspoon potato starch, 1 teaspoon wine vinegar
- Take a little foam on the back of a spoon and spread it on the corners of the baking paper (from underneath) and stick the paper to the baking sheet.
- Place about 2-3 heaped tablespoons of foam per meringue – leave slight gaps between the meringues.
- Put the baking sheet with meringues into the preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 110 degrees.
- Bake the meringues for an hour, then turn off the oven, but leave the meringues inside until completely cooled.
How to make cranberry and orange fruit filling
- Pour cranberries into a saucepan, add sugar and grated orange zest.200 g cranberries, 100 g sugar, orange zest
- Pour in the orange juice and cook over low heat until the cranberries burst and soften, and the mixture thickens slightly.approx 150 ml orange juice
- Mix potato starch with a little water.1 teaspoon potato starch
- Pour the mixture into the cranberries and stir vigorously. Set aside the fruit filling to cool completely.
How to make cream frosting
- Briefly blend mascarpone cheese with powdered sugar.100 g mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Add heavy cream to the cheese and blend on high speed until the cream becomes thick and stiff.300 ml heavy cream
Christmas meringues with cranberries – finishing
- Before serving, arrange the meringues on plates.
- Spoon the cream frosting on top, and then spread the cool fruit filling over it.
- Decorate the meringues with orange slices, cranberries and e.g. chocolates.fresh cranberries, orange slices, Christmas chocolates
Film
Uwagi
Wartości Odżywcze
History of meringue – where does this dessert come from?
Meringues have a long history, and their origins can be traced back to various European countries. France is usually credited with creating meringue, although similar baked goods exist in other European cuisines. Initially, meringue could be found in the form of large sponge-like meringue cakes, which were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. In the 18th century, meringue gained popularity in France, and the legendary chef Marie-Antoine Carême is considered one of the first to contribute to its development. Nowadays, meringue has taken on various forms and flavors, and the popularity of this light and delicate dessert continues worldwide. Today, meringues are available in different shapes, sizes, and flavors, and also serve as a popular base for many diverse baked goods, such as pavlova or various types of meringue cakes.
Meringues – regardless of their size – are an ideal dessert, perfect not only for holidays but also for everyday. They taste great with afternoon coffee or tea. And meringue dessert is loved by both adults and children. Hence my festive meringues today. I know no one will resist them! You too, try this recipe and surprise your whole family and guests with their excellent taste.
Ingredients needed to prepare festive meringues with cranberries
To prepare this excellent festive dessert, you will need a few basic ingredients. Below is their list and possible substitutes.
- egg whites – for this dessert, you need the whites from 6 eggs (preferably size L). If you have a kitchen scale (and I strongly encourage you to buy and use one for baking recipes), you can weigh them – mine weighed 225 g.
- sugar – for the egg whites themselves, we use granulated sugar – it can be fine sugar – then it will dissolve faster during mixing. For the meringue, we use as much as 300 g of sugar (i.e., 1.5 cups). I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar here, as it guarantees stable meringues. However, for the cream, I recommend powdered sugar – here I added only 2 tablespoons of sugar, because the meringues themselves are sweet enough. You can, of course, sweeten the cream more if you prefer sweeter desserts.
- cranberries – for the fruit jelly, you will need cranberries; you can use both fresh and frozen. If you use frozen cranberries, you do not need to thaw them beforehand.
- whipping cream – I used 30% whipping cream in a carton. My package had 330 ml (bought at Biedronka). If you have the same cream, you can safely use the entire package instead of 300 ml from the recipe – no need to waste products.
- mascarpone cheese – here you can use any cheese; I usually use the one from Lidl or Biedronka. They are very good, so there’s no need to overpay :)
Preparation of festive meringues step by step
To streamline your work on this dessert, it’s worth dividing it into stages. Meringues require the most time (due to cooling). Therefore, prepare them first. You can bake mini meringues even a few days in advance and store them in an airtight, sealed container so they don’t absorb moisture. During the busy pre-holiday period, baking meringues earlier can be a great improvement. And it will also save stress before the holidays themselves.
The second stage is preparing the cranberry fruit jelly.
How to prepare cranberry fruit jelly for mini meringues – tips
To emphasize the festive character of these meringues, I made the cranberry fruit jelly with the addition of orange – specifically, with orange zest and orange juice. I got the idea for this particular fruit jelly from Emmy Duckworth. She also made similar meringues with cream and cranberries. Use two larger oranges for this fruit jelly. To better and more easily squeeze juice from the fruits, it’s worth rolling them for a moment, pressing lightly; this will soften the pulp and increase juiciness. First, grate the orange zest on a fine grater, then cut them in half and squeeze out the juice. Cook everything together until the fruit jellies soften and the fruit jelly thickens. For my fruit jelly, I used 100 g of sugar (half a cup), and the fruit jelly was not very sweet. If you wish, you can use more sugar to get sweeter fruits. Cool the finished fruit jelly, or even chill it in the refrigerator, so that when placed on the cream, it doesn’t start to melt it with its warmth!
How to make frosted cranberries and rosemary?
For decorating my mini meringues, I also used fresh cranberries and some coated in granulated sugar. Additionally, for a nice color and a red-green combination, I added frosted rosemary sprigs. This gave the meringues an extraordinary charm and a snowy appearance. How to make sugared cranberries and sugared rosemary? It’s very easy, and anyone can do it.
First, prepare the sugar syrup – in a saucepan, heat half a cup (120 ml) of water together with 100 g of sugar (half a cup). When all the sugar has dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool completely. Dip the cranberries – coat them thoroughly – and rosemary sprigs in the cooled syrup. Place the fruits and rosemary on baking paper and leave them to dry. Finally, pour granulated sugar into a bowl and coat the cranberries and rosemary in it. The sugar will stick to the sticky syrup and form a beautiful frosted layer.
And how do you like such a meringue with cranberries? For me, it’s the perfect festive dessert. Be sure to check out my other Christmas recipes. You’ll find plenty of delicious sweets for the festive table there. Both very traditional and more modern ones.
Recommended meringue recipes
Also try my other recipes for delicious sweet meringues in various flavors and with different additions. Here I recommend, among others, these three recipes:
Popularne Przepisy
Polecane przepisy
Festive Meringues with Cream and Cranberries Recipe
I invite you to try these delicious and beautifully presented small Christmas meringues with cranberries. These sweet little treats, with their crispy shells and soft centers, look and taste perfect when served with a light whipped cream and mascarpone frosting. The mascarpone gives the cream stability and the ideal thickness, making it easy to pipe using a pastry nozzle for a professional finish.
The sweet and tart cranberry and orange sauce enhances the festive flavor, and the decoration ensures these meringues will be the centerpiece of any holiday table!
Check out my detailed step-by-step recipe for meringues with cream. View the preparation photos and watch the short video to demystify the process once and for all! Be sure to read my tips and advice below the recipe to clear up any doubts.
I highly encourage you to try this recipe for festive meringues with cranberries and orange.
