This Kitchen Experiment Was a Failure

I love meringue cookies. Not only are they tasty and sweet, they're mostly air so they're low cal. And they're supposed to be crispy, at least on the outside.

I decided to make a batch tonight using this recipe. I made 1/2 chocolate (without the chips) and 1/2 with pumpkin pie spice. Ever since I read the book Anticancer: A New Way of Life, I have tried to substitute Ideal brand sweetener for sugar whenever possible. Most of the time, it works out great, whether I'm baking, cooking, or just sweetening something. Not this time, though.

The meringue batter looked and tasted great. They even had that shine that you only get once you sweeten meringue. I popped them into the oven, and when they were done, the edges were nice and lightly browned, as usual. Once they'd cooled for a minute, though, I picked one up to try it, and it felt like one of those foam squeeze stress-relief balls that corporations give to their employees. They tasted okay, but the texture kind of ruined it for me.

So, why are my meringue cookies chewy and not crispy? A little research confirmed that it's the sugar that makes them crispy. Luckily my four-year-old daughter likes them, and she ate quite a few. I ate a few, too, just to satisfy my craving for something sweet. It'll be the last time I use a substitute for sugar in meringues, though!