Mini Meringues
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 4:26PM 
Mini Chocolate Meringue Pies.
Are. You. Kidding. Me?
The cutest most delicious things ever.... know what makes them even cuter? Meringue. That's what makes them even cuter. Little tiny crust filled with chocolate delight then topped with fluffy white delight.... and can be eaten in one bite! Perfection.
Before giving you the recipe and instructions I must tell you a funny/incredibly embarrassing story....
I love to bake miniatures so a lot of times I will just sit down late at night and google "miniature recipes". It was pie week so of course I was in the mood for some mini pies. I started googling and found mini pumpkin pies, mini cherry pies (both of which I made and were adorable), mini pie charms, etc. but no mini meringue pies.
I can be the first one!
Me!
It will be easy! Why would no one else think of this? They had, but they had not pulled it off correctly. Or.... they were too lazy. I mean meringue is a whipping. (pardon the pun)
So, next day, I get all my stuff together. Get my dough. My cookie cutter. My egg whites. My camera.
I am going to be the first to make mini meringue pies! I am going to document it! I am going to be an internet sensation! It is all just waiting for me!!!
I make the pies. I document it. I decide it will be my first blog on my brand new website. I prepare for fame and stardom.
My husband is working on the website. He calls me to tell me to look at the updates in my "baking" section. Keep in mind I have sent him no pictures, no info, nothing. It is in the very early stages but he does know the first post will be Mini Chocolate Meringue Pies.
I go to sugarderby.com. I see my cute logo. I scroll down. I see a picture of a mini meringue pie. I get confused.
I have not given sweet husband any pictures of my cute mini pies. No one else in the universe has made mini meringue pies.
Google confirmed it last night when I did that search.
Where did he get that picture? Who stole my idea? Would my pictures be proof enough to hold up in court?
I was the first to think of this!
I call hubby. I ask where he got picture. He says... "I don't know. Some chicks flickr." WHOOOOOOOO?
He puts me on hold and comes back... "Martha Stewart."
What? Martha Stewart? But she has a fancy website and tv show and all that. If I googled something she made surely it would have popped up. How did hubby find that picture and I found nothing?
I will tell you how.
It was very late. I was very tired. It was pie week.
I googled "mini chocolate mergue pies".
That's how.
Pretty simple.
So I may not be the first to make mini chocolate meringue pies, thanks Martha, but I am the first to make Mini Chocolate Mergue Pies!
Internet sensation!
I am so lame.
But these pies are great!
Mini Chocolate Meringue (mergue) Pies
First step is to prepare the tiny little crusts.
You will need: 1 package of Pillsbury roll out pie crust, mini muffin pan, rolling pin, and a 2 1/2 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter
It is really easy just a bit time consuming. Minis are so darn cute but it takes much longer to make 24 individual "anything" than it does to make one regular size.
For these little babies just roll out the dough and cut into circles using your cutter.
Press the dough into mini muffin cups. Make a slight edge around the top.
Poke holes in the crust, as you would for a large custard pie and bake for about 7 minutes or until golden brown.
While they are baking you can make your pie filling. One of the most important things in making a custard pie is to keep stirring. Your recipe is not joking when it says "stir constantly". Not joking!
Chocolate Filling
| 1/2 | c. unsweetened cocoa powder |
| 1/3 | c. all-purpose flour |
| 1-1/4 | c. sugar |
| 2-1/2 | c. whole milk |
| 4 | egg yolks, lightly beaten |
| 2 | T. butter |
| 1 | t. vanilla extract |
In a large heavy saucepan, combine flour, cocoa, and sugar. Stir in milk and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pie crusts.
Now make your meringue.
I love heavy meringue but you have to be careful when making for such a small treat. I tried a couple of different recipes and ended up using a lighter version.
Meringue
5 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cream or tartar
Start by putting your egg whites into a very dry, glass bowl. (Glass is best because plastic may have soaked in oils from different foods)
I use a handheld mixer. It seems easier for me to control. Turn it on high and start mixing. Mix the whites until they begin to stiffen and you are able to make peaks.
Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time. Still mixing on high.
Add cream of tartar and finish mixing.
Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue over hot filling, sealing to edge of pie crust. Bake for about 8 minutes or until meringue begins to brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Sift cocoa over the top of the pies if desired. Store in refrigerator.
This recipe made 48 mini meringue pies. The filling can go further but 1 package of pie crust makes 48. And then you can just eat the left over warm chocolate filling. Duh!
Now time for the photo shoot!
I knew I wanted these to be uber cute so I decided to use some of my favorite miniature glass bottles to display. So hard to decide which ones would actually make the photo!
But I found the winners.
Hope you enjoy!
Reader Comments (5)
Sooooo cute.... I love meringue.... I never used cream or tartar. just egg whites and sugar. sometimes i add coconut in it too. thanks for the idea.
I love this recipe...do you have the recipe for lemon meringue pies?
Do you have any sweet recipes for diabetics?
Do you have any sweet recipes for diabetics?
Do you have any sweet recipes for diabetics?