Orange Blossom Vegan Meringues

When I first read about aquafaba, the liquid found in cans of chickpea and how it's changing vegan baking, I was skeptical. The first few times I tried making some meringues or macarons, they were a disaster. The meringues were flat and they lacked the airy quality I associated with eating meringues. I was talking to my friend who does a lot of vegan baking for her niece and she shared a tip with me. Aquafaba works best if you reduce the liquid by 1/3 and refrigerate it overnight so the viscosity will be more like aged egg whites. Brilliant! Now my aquafaba whips up all the time just like egg whites except I never have to worry about over whipping them.

Aquafaba Meringues

• 1/4 cup reduced aquafaba chilled overnight
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 62g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla paste or extract

Place the chickpea liquid into a small mixing bowl and add in lemon juice. Whip until the aquafaba is equivalent to stiff peaks with regular egg whites.

Once a stiff foam forms, slowly add in the sugar while whisking the aquafaba. Continue to whisk the foam until it's thick and glossy. Add in the vanilla paste and orange blossom water. Whisk for another minute.

Transfer the meringues into a piping bag fitted with a star or plain tip. If you want to color the meringues, paint the inside of the piping bag with natural food coloring or gel food coloring. Pipe the meringues onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake them in 200 degrees F oven for 1-2 hrs or until the meringues are dry. If you have a food dehydrator you can also dry them at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours.

They are much more delicate than regular meringues. They will become sticky much faster in humidity so store these in an air tight container right after they have cooled down. These meringues are delicious on their own or you can use them as toppings on nice cream or decorations on cakes and tarts. Enjoy!