This is one of the first recipes I've ever learned since it's easy, doesn't require a lot of ingredients, and yummy to eat. For those who have problems with the meringue firming up, it's because it hasn't been beaten enough. Though for some people it may happen after 15 minutes, depending on what you use and what you put into the meringue, it can take even longer, I know mine went to around 20-30 minutes when I was making pavlova. You'll know when it's ready when it starts forming stiff peaks. If the 15 minute mark has passed and it's still soupy, keep beating. Over beating is probably better than under beating it. For a crisp outside, you actually don't need that much sugar. Halving the amount can also make a good meringue. It's also important to -not- have any of the yolk in the whites. Otherwise, they won't rise properly. The most important things in making meringues is 1. patience and 2. following all the steps. If the meringues burn, then it's because you have the oven too hot or you made them too small. If they're too big, they'll crack as they cool. If the meringues come out soft, then it's probably because the sugar content is too low to form a crisp crust. If you find them tasteless, you can add flavoring, like vanilla extract or lemon zest. I feel like most of the reasons why people gave bad reviews was because they aren't patient enough to wait until the egg whites become stiff and satiny (15 minutes +) or they had residual egg yolk in the whites.

Great recipe! Didn't pipe it though. I also halved the recipe. Work out great! I also added vanilla.

This recipe was a disaster. It fails to accurately describe the state the whites should be in before you add the sugar. 'Foamy' is inaccurate and led to a waste of my eggs and time. The whites should be whipped until they form stiff peaks. Otherwise you end up with a runny mess.

My first go at this recipe wasn't good. I did research on the best way to beat egg whites. I had my stainless steel bowl, room temp egg whites.. making sure nothing was in them. The only thing that may have happened is that maybe I started adding the sugar too soon? The directions say to add it after they get foamy.. which I DID. But my egg whites never got stiff. It looked like runny marshmallow fluff. Maybe I should have waited till the egg whites were stiff before I started adding it???? Idk! I hate wasting ingredients so I puddled it on a pan and shoved it in the oven! We will see what happens.... -_-. I may try again, but add the sugar AFTER the egg whites have peaked. Wish the recipe would clarify that!!

Very easy recipe, I think the person who had a problem with it may have had moisture in the bowl or even had a small amount of egg yolk which will spoil the mixture.

First time making them. The taste is just sugar, a lot of sugar. Next time I will flavor them with something. There are a lot of good suggestions in the comments. I baked mine @ 185 with the door closed for 3 hrs. I use a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper and they came right off, no sticking. Can't wait to try them with flavoring.

For a person who knows nothing about meringues, these came out great! At first I thought I added the sugar too early but after a while with the sugar whipping, I decides to pipe them anyway and they came out perfect. Ferm and the perfect texture! I will definitely make them again! Making them for valentines day, I hope everyone loves them! Great gifts! Thanks for the recipe. : )

I know I'm in the minority with this low rating but I hated the taste. Perhaps it was the confectioners sugar because most all other meringue recipes calls for regular white sugar and they taste much better in my opinion.

I added 1/8 teaspoon vanilla and a little extra sugar. The first batch cracked and oozed a bubbly syrup. The next just cracked a little since I reduced the oven temp. to start 'um out. Mine were done in 2hr and 15min. I also found that parchment paper worked well.

Second try with this recipe - turned out great this go around. The first try was a runny mess. I think I know what went wrong the first time and did the opposite this time - it worked! I cut the recipe in half, but added a tad more sugar. Very tasty and went down a treat.