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closeup of a basketball cupcake on a pedestal with and cookies in the background

Basketball Meringue Cookies and Cupcakes

Surprisingly easy, yet festive and fun! You'll be whipping up these yummy melt-in-your-mouth treats for every basketball player or fan you know.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack, Treat
Cuisine French
Servings 24 2-inch cookies

Equipment

  • Mixer with whisk attachment
  • Parchment paper
  • Cookie sheets
  • Spatula
  • Basketball Printout
  • Measuring Cups and spoons
  • Piping Bag and tip or a plastic bag
  • Printout of hoop and net cupcake wrappers
  • NOTE: I made these for years using my trusty hand mixer. So don't be put off if you don't have a stand mixer, any electric mixer will do.

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large egg whites at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt if desired
  • 1/2 - 3/4 tsp vanilla extract or other flavor
  • Wilton "copper" and "black"
  • NOTE: use gel or paste food coloring as liquid will change the texture of your meringue

Instructions
 

  • Separate your eggs into a clean, dry small bowl. Then transfer to the clean, dry large bowl of a standing mixer
    NOTE: It is critical that the utensils you use be clean and dry! If there is a bit of yolk or leftover grease of any kind, your whites will not whip properly.
    Now let your egg whites sit until room temperature. While you're waiting on those egg whites
    a small mixing bowl on a counter with four eggs and a bottle of Cream of Tartar and a measuring spoon
  • Preheat oven to 225 degrees (yep, low and slow)
    Set racks at top third and bottom third of oven.
  • Print your basketball outlines and lay them on your baking sheet. NOTE: Two sheets is helpful. This printout is available in the Subscribers' Free Printable Library.
    closeup of a cookie sheet with a printout of basketballs covered with parchment paper
  • Cover cookie sheets and the Basketball printouts with parchment paper
  • Prep your piping bag
  • Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites
  • When egg whites are room temperature, beat the mixture. Start at medium speed and work your way up to highest. Scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  • Once your egg whites are soft peaks, add the flavoring of your choice.
  • Now add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, waiting 30 - 60 seconds between each addition. This allows the sugar to dissolve and become fully incorporated.
    Continue beating at highest speed another 6 - 8 minutes until stiff peaks form.
    The peaks will transform from soft to stiff at this stage. You should be able to twirl your spatula in the batter and lift out a peak that will stand upright. Don't worry. It's really not possible to overbeat this like some frostings.
    Closeup of stiff peaks of meringue
  • Save about 1/4 of your meringue batter in a small bowl. Tint the large quantity for the basketballs. i used Wilton. "copper". Tint the smaller bowl black.
    Closeup of two bowls of meringue tinted copper and black
  • Transfer meringue in to a bag for piping.
    Holding your piping bag in one hand, use a rubber spatula to transfer all the meringue into the bag. Then smooth all towards the tip, twist the bag and hold it closed with a band.
    closeup of a spatula transferring meringue from the bowl to a pastry bag
  • Fill the circled with copper, building up more height in the center.
    closeup of pastry bag applying orange meringue just inside the circle lines and building up height
  • When you have a sheet done, use the back of a spoon to very gently smooth out the piping lines.
    closeup of the back of a spoon smoothing the orange dome shape
  • Following the lines on the printout, pipe your meringue lines.
    Look at your second sheet to help you for the first one or two. This is why all those lines extended beyond the circles. They tell you were each line begins and ends.
    Start with straight line. Then the curved one that crosses it. Then finish with the curved on on each side of the straight line.
    Don't worry if you have little tails of black sticking out beyond the basketballs. We'll fix those after they bake -- easy peasy, I promise!
    Closeup of piping tip forming black lines on basketballl meringues
  • Remove the printouts.
  • Bake for 90 minutes.
    Halfway through rotate your baking sheets front to back and top to bottom.
  • Cool.
    At the end of the 90 minutes baking time, turn off the oven.
    Leave the cookies in the oven for 30 minutes with the door closed to let your cookies cool down slowly while the oven cools down.
  • Store.
    Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

NOTE: Sheets of basketballs and the hoop and net cupcake wrappers are available in my Printables Library. All subscribers have access to the library. If you'd like to subscribe click here.
If you are already a subscriber, the password will be in your most current email from me.
Keyword Basketball, Cookie, Cupcake, Light, Meringue