Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote
These Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote are a light, airy dessert that’s perfect for summer picnics!
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Warning: You need to plan ahead to make these Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote. In truth, this is a very easy dessert to make. However, the trick (if you can call it a trick) is the time. These meringues bake for 2.5 hours…and then they sit in the oven overnight. Yup, overnight. But don’t let the extra time scare you away from these Blackberry Meringues! They are delicious. They are easy. They are an excellent light summer dessert!
As a kid, I spent my summers picking wild blackberries on the dirt road that ran alongside my grandparent’s house in upstate South Carolina. I credit my grandma’s blackberry cobblers as the reason why blackberries are my favoritest berry of all time. I can seriously eat a container of blackberries in no time flat. Your blackberries are most definitely not safe around me!
I used that love for blackberries to create these Blackberry Meringues. Have you ever made meringues before? They are light as air, crispy and quite frankly delicious. However, swirl in a little blackberry sauce, and you end up with a really fun twist on a classic recipe. And if you have leftover blackberry sauce? Spoon it over vanilla bean ice cream. I speak from experience here.
Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote
Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry CompoteTo be fair, these Blackberry Meringues don’t really need the mixed berry compote. They have a wonderful flavor by themselves. But then again, the warm weather just calls for lots and lots of berries, right? The mixed berry compote sounds super fancy, right? Guess what? It’s not. It’s literally berries and sugar that get heated in the microwave (or stovetop) until they form a sauce of sorts. Spoon that mixture on top of one of these meringues? That’s summer right there!
As I noted above, these Blackberry Meringues are super easy to make. Heck, there are only 5 ingredients – 6 if you count the water. However, the one key part of making these meringues is beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form. The Kitchn has a good guide for beating egg whites, and I’ve also included a photo here from my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. Those egg whites should stand up on their own. If they flop over, keep beating. It’ll take a good 8-10 minutes with a countertop mixer to get to stiff peak stage.
Once the egg whites reach stiff peaks, all that’s left is to plop spoonfuls of the mixture down onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Add a teaspoon or so of the blackberry sauce and swirl it in with a toothpick. That’s it. You’re done. Put those meringues in a low-temp oven for a couple of hours, and then let ’em rest overnight to set up properly. The next day, you’ll have an awesome light dessert that’s perfect for summer picnics in the backyard! Plus, it sounds fancy to say that you made Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote. (We’ll just keep how easy this recipe is as a little secret between us.) Enjoy these Blackberry Meringues…and enjoy the warm weather!
P.S. One final note about the berries. You don’t have to use blackberries. Literally any berry will work here. Blueberry meringues? Sure! Raspberry meringues? Why not? And feel free to use frozen berries if you’d like. Keep the fresh berries for eating plain!
Did you make a batch of these Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Blackberry Meringues with Mixed Berry Compote
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Sauce
- ½ cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
For the Blackberry Meringue
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- blackberry sauce
For the Berry Compote
- 2 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen, see note
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
For the Blackberry Sauce
- Using a medium saucepan, add blackberries, sugar and water; place over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Using a wooden spoon, stir until blackberries are broken apart and sauce is well combined.
- Press mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds.
- Let mixture cool to room temperature.
For the Blackberry Meringue
- Preheat oven to 200°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set pans aside.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy.
- Add lemon juice, salt and ¼ cup of the sugar; beat until well combined. Add the remaining sugar in 2 more ¼ cup additions, beating after each addition.
- Beat egg whites on high until stiff, glossy peaks form (~5-6 minutes).
- Drop large spoonfuls of the egg white mixture onto the prepared baking pans. Carefully flatten tops of the meringues with the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle 1 tsp of cooled blackberry sauce on top of each meringue; swirl sauce into meringue using a toothpick.
- Bake for 2½ hours, or until meringues are dry and crispy on edges. Turn off oven, but leave meringues in oven overnight to set.
For the Berry Compote
- Using a microwave safe bowl, add berries, sugar and lemon juice; toss until well combined.
- Microwave for 2 minutes, stir and then microwave for 2 more minutes.
- Spoon compote over meringues before serving.
Notes
Looking for more summer berry desserts? Check out these other favorites:
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Blackberries are one of my very favorite things in the world. And these meringues are soooo pretty! I could definitely eat a batch by myself :). Adding blackberries to my shopping list so I can make these soon!
Yes! I’m with ya on blackberries, Kelsie. It kills me how expensive they typically are in the store though. Whenever they go on sale, I grab a whole bunch. And Robbie has followed in my footsteps there, too – he loves blackberries! The best part of this meringue recipe is that you can totally use frozen berries.
I love blackberries. meringues look so perfect. I never tried making meringues at home before because I had some weird feeling that making perfect meringues is next to impossible for me. I guess its time to change a mindset.
Meringues are SO easy to make, Priya. Like it’s almost embarrassing how easy they are. The biggest trick (if you can call it that) is whipping the egg whites until stiff. That’ll take a bit of time, but it’s essential. Other than that, the rest is nice and easy. Give ’em a shot! 🙂
how delicious! i used to pick blackberries as a child too. then we sold them to the local jam factory, who (obviously) made jam out of them. ah the memories…
The memories are the best, aren’t they, Sherry? I wish I could go back to those days of picking blackberries on the dusty dirt road. I’d give anything to do that! The only care in the world those days was whether we’d go swimming before or after picking blackberries. I miss that!
These are absolutely beautiful, David – these would be perfect to make for Mother’s Day! I know my Mum would go crazy for them!!
Oooo…these would be fun for Mother’s Day! I didn’t even think about that when I made ’em. But they are colorful and light, so they’re a great sweet treat for Mom’s Day. 🙂 Thanks, Alex!
Blackberries is one of my favorite fruit and this dish looks soo yummy & sound too delicious….David…i can’t wait to try it…Thanks for sharing…….!
Thanks so much, Samantha! I love blackberries, too, and this fun dessert is a great way to use summer berries. 🙂
We absolutely love maräng (meringues) over this way. So the first thing I did when I spotted your post was to compare your recipe to our Swedish version. Same, same. We see Blåbärsmaränger (blueberry meringues) in our bakeries, but I’ve never seen such a meringue recipe as your blackberry meringues. I’ll be passing this recipe over to my MIL as she’s the queen of meringues in our family.
David, have you ever had spettekaka. Don’t laugh, it’s the name of a fantastic meringue cake that every kid and adult in Skania loves. Think “meringue on a stick” or kabob meets meringues.
Interesting! I love that this recipe matches your Swedish version. 🙂 So I’m thinking the Blåbärsmaränger (I had to copy/paste that one…haha) are entirely blue? I’ll have to try making those sometime. These meringues are SO easy to make. Swirling in the fruit makes for a fun appearance, too.
Ok. Spettekaka. That’s a new one to me. (Tee hee.) But I do love hearing about new recipes, so I’ll have to check that one out. It’s fun to mix up the routine a bit! Thanks, Ron, and I hope you guys are doing well over there.
I love love love blackberries. These are right up my street! Add a dollop of cream and I’m in heaven!
Heck yeah! The dollop of cream is a great idea. These meringues are so flavorful, and they are so light and airy, too. Perfect for a sweet treat when you get that sweet tooth craving! Thanks, Matt!
So gorgeous and delicious David! These meringues just scream spring and summer! Love the addition of the blackberries, and what sweet memories you have from childhood of this delicious fruit. I can’t think of a more beautiful or delicious dessert to make as we enjoy the warm weather!
You’re totally right, Shannon. All of the berries going on with these meringues makes ’em perfect for summer. However, the best part is you can use frozen berries and save the fresh ones for eating plain! 🙂 Cheers, my friend!
Lol…thanks for the warning, David 😉 I bet the time to make ’em is SO worth it though. And, lucky me…I just picked up blackberries! I guess I know what’s in my future. I bet they melt in ya mouth! Hope you have a wonderful week!!
Oh, the time is SO worth it here, Dawn. And the thing is the time is all inactive. I mean these meringues bake forever (not literally…haha) at low temperature and then rest overnight. But there is no work required there.
Wait. You just picked up blackberries!? Perfect timing! We have 5 blackberry bushes I planted last Fall, and I’m happy that all 5 of them made it through the first winter. Hopefully I’ll have a huge blackberry thicket in another year or two. 🙂
Hey – I’ll send you all the containers of blackberries you want and you send me a batch of these Blackberry Meringues ? 🙂 I so love that these take only 5 ingredients – but I’m a tad bit impatient when it comes to letting food sit – hence my suggestion.
Wow – y’all had easy access to blackberries – when we were young, when my sister and I were shipped off to spend a few weeks with my uncle in the cooler upcountry areas of Sri Lanka, we would come across blackberries in the forests near his place when we went hiking – we would sit and gorge ourselves silly on those wild blackberries!
BTW I tried my hand at making Blackberry Meringues a long while ago and we just didn’t have the patience to let them sit overnight – after about 4 hours there was no evidence of them ever existing! Hoping y’all are all doing well in Upstate NY!
Oh heck yeah! I’d take you up on that offer all day long, Shashi. The problem is the blackberries might not make it to the meringues if Robbie (or I) see them first! 🙂
I wish I could go back to those days of picking blackberries on that dusty dirt road. We could literally pick as many as we wanted. And the only care in the world was whether we’d go swimming before or after we picked those blackberries. And then maybe we’d hop in the old truck and go down to pick some peaches after that. Man, those were the days!!
I remember picking blackberries when I was a kid. They were always so good. I love these blackberry meringues, they sound delicious!!
Yes! Picking blackberries is one of my favorite childhood memories. I planted a bunch of bushes here last Fall, and hopefully we’ll have a bunch of blackberries here soon – that way Robbie can pick ’em, too! 🙂 Thanks, Dawn!
Oh my goodness! What an amazing little treat. I love the blackberry swirl and I can just image the amazing taste they add to these meringues. These are perfect for Mother’s Day! 🙂
Yes! These really would be a fun Mother’s Day treat. Meringues are surprisingly easy to make…they just take a little bit of time. And the blackberry swirl was a fun little twist here. Thanks so much, Kathy!! 🙂
These looks so pretty! Love this swirls. Now I have something to make when I have some extra egg whites
Exactly! I often have those times when I have extra egg whites (like when I make a batch of homemade ice cream), and meringues is a great way to use ’em up. Thanks so much, Raymund!
Since my 16 yr old has Celiac, we love meringues around here because they’re inherently GF. And these are so very pretty — they would dress up any dessert table. Well worth the long slow baking time. 🙂 ~Valentina
Yes! Meringues are inherently, well, everything. They are such a simple recipe! I agree that they do take a long time to bake, but it’s well worth the effort. Happy (early) Mother’s Day, Valentina!
These look totally addictive, David! I spent my childhood summers picking blackberries too – nothing like a big, juicy, ripe blackberry. These meringues will happen soon!
I’m with ya, Marissa! A big, plump blackberry is one of the best things about summer. I just planted 5 blackberry bushes as we had to leave the old ones behind at the other house. Hopefully they’ll take off growing soon as I love picking blackberries in the yard! 🙂
I love meringues, but I rarely make them as it’s a time-consuming process. But in fact, I love the ones that are crispy from outside yet soft and chewy inside (Still, it’s like an hour of baking plus another hour of sitting in the oven. So please go ahead and ship me a box, please.) Anyway, these guys look beautiful and so neat! You should consider making a Blackberry Eton mess this summer – that would be a lovely combo!
Meringues are indeed a time-consuming process. But to be fair, most of the time is inactive. You can start these in the oven and go off and do something else…then come back to a delicious treat! And you’re totally right about the Eton Mess. Hmmm. Now you’ve got me thinking!
These meringues are so pretty with the blackberry sauce swirled in! You’re reminding me that I can’t wait for berries to be in season. I always go for blueberries, strawberries & raspberries, but need to get more into blackberries & whip up some blackberry treats this summer!
I’m with ya, Nicole! I’m so excited for summer berry season. It’s close…even if it did just snow in May. What the heck is up with that!? Hope you had a great Mother’s Day, my friend!!
I love blackberries! Your merengues looks delicious.
Thanks so much, Jeff!