Easy Pavlova Made with Powdered Egg Whites

This is my husband’s favorite dessert.  It is an easy and relatively healthy treat.  We sometime substitute a pureed fruit sauce for the whipped cream, making it even healthier.

I wondered how the powdered egg white version would compare to using fresh egg whites so I made one of each.   In the photo below they look a little different but most of that is due to my spreading of the beaten egg whites.   The taste and texture are very similar.  My husband could not tell the difference.  
I must say using the powdered egg whites were much easier to use.  

 
 
Easy Pavlova
adapted from:  allrecipes.com

Printable Recipe

8 tsp egg white powder plus ⅓ cup water.
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pint heavy cream, whipped and sweetened
6 kiwi, peeled and sliced or fruit of your choice--we really like peaches

1.  Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, beat egg white powder and water until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Over beaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients.  Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
3.  Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
4.  Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
5.  Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, sweetened if desired. Top whipped cream with kiwifruit slices.

Marshmallows Made From Powdered Egg Whites

One of the great things about powdered eggs is that when I use them I am free of the fear of salmonella.  I must admit that I was never one to be real worried about eating raw cookie dough or drinking real eggnog.  Until a few years ago I had a horrible bout of salmonella poisoning and I am NEVER going to do that again.  


So anytime a recipe has me add raw eggs I am leery.  But powdered eggs have been pasteurized a process which kills bacteria.  So any time I make a recipe that calls for eggs that will not be thoroughly cooked I use powdered.  


Marshmallows is one of those recipes.  The egg whites aren’t really cooked, they are tempered as you add the hot syrup, but not actually cooked.  So this is definitely a recipe I want to use powdered egg whites for.  


The first time I ever heard of anyone making marshmallows was a few years ago when my friend Kim invited me over for a marshmallow making party.  “Marshmallows?”  I asked a little skeptical.
“Yes, they are the best holiday treat.  I give them to all the neighbors at Christmas.”  Kim says
“Really?”  I say
“They are amazing. You will love them”  Kim says to convince me.  

I went to the party and we made TONS of marshmallows.  It was super fun, and she was right homemade marshmallows are delicious.


The ingredients in this recipe are simple, egg white (powdered of course), gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla.  All foods that you probably have in your food storage.

This recipe has two things going on at once, so be sure to read through the recipe so you know what you are doing.  You will be making a syrup on the stove AND whipping the egg whites at the same time.  When I make recipes that are like this I make sure to get all my ingredients and tools out before I start so that I don’t get flustered.  
 

Marshmallows made with Powdered Egg White

Printable Recipe

Makes:  25-50 marshmallows
Adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate

2 envelopes  powdered unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup  + 1/3 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
4 teaspoons egg white powder plus 8 teaspoons water
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste


Marshmallow Mix
1 ½ c cornstarch
1 ½ c powdered sugar 

1.    In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/2 cup of cold water to dissolve and soften.

2.    In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, mix the sugar and corn syrup with 1/3 cup (80ml) of water. Place over medium-to-high heat.    

Note that you will use this saucepan twice, to make the syrup and melt the gelatin, eliminating the need to wash it between uses.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, pour in the egg white powder and water and beat on low speed until frothy. Add the pinch of salt.  

Note:  Keep the mixer running.  You are not going to turn it off until step 6.

4. When the syrup reaches about 210ºF (99ºC), increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the whites until they are thick and fluffy.

5. When the syrup reaches 245ºF (118ºC), slowly pour the hot syrup into the whites, pouring so that the syrup against the side of the egg white bowl so that it does not fall on the whisk since some of the syrup will splatter and stick to the sides of the bowl.

6. Scrape the gelatin and water into the pan that you used for the syrup and swirl it to dissolve. 
(There should still be residual heat left in the pan from making the syrup in it to dissolve it).
Pour the liquified gelatin slowly into the whites as they are whipping. Add the vanilla extract and continue to whip for 5 minutes, until the mixture is feels completely cool when you touch the outside of the bowl.

7. Dust a baking sheet evenly and completely with a generous layer of the marshmallow mixture. (I used about 2 cups).   Make sure there are absolutely no bare spots.

8. Use a spatula to spread the marshmallows in a layer on the pan. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, uncovered.

9. Put about 1 cup (140g) of the marshmallow mixture into a large bowl.
Dust the top of the marshmallows with some of the marshmallow mixture. Use a pizza cutter or scissors (dusted as well with the marshmallow mixture) to cut the marshmallows into any size or shape pieces that you’d like and toss the marshmallows in the marshmallow mixture. Shake the marshmallows vigorously in a wire strainer to remove the excess powder.
Alternatively, you can dust a baking sheet and put scoops of the marshmallow on it, and let them cool.  

 
Storage: The marshmallows can be made up to one week in advance, and stored in an airtight container.

The Powdered Egg Experiment

  

Spoiler:  this is a very geeky post.  As part of my formal education I took a variety of food science classes.  In those classes we experimented with the ingredients and preparations of foods.  When Shelf Reliance announced the new eggs products I was interested in comparing the old and new products side by side.  I conducted a simple semi scientific experiment with comparing the eggs using a commercially packaged cake mix (pink lemonade cake, which my daughter choose).  Here is what I found.

Shelf Reliance recently introduced new powdered eggs. With three new products.

• New Powdered eggs (that are minus the anti caking agent sodium silicoalumnate”
• Powdered Eggs Whites--I am so excited.  This is something I have been looking for.  
• Scrambled Egg Mix--This is a whole egg product (it’s only ingredient is eggs) that has been specially processed to create easy to make scrambled eggs.  You might remember that I make scrambled eggs from my powdered eggs and with a little extra work it is no problem.  If you don’t want to go to the extra effort then Scrambled Egg Mix is just what you need.

NOTE:  These products are only available to home party customers until April 26th.  If you click on the links it will take to a log in screen, either log in as a home party customer OR register as a customer.  After you are logged in you may need to click on the link again.  After April 26th the link will just work.   

Let’s chat about the New Powdered Eggs.  (or you can skip down to see the cupcakes)

How are they different from the old powdered eggs?

• They contain only “whole eggs”
• In the past Shelf Reliance powdered eggs contained an anti caking agent “sodium silicoaluminate”.  In the new eggs (which is what is currently available) the anti caking agent has been removed.

Why did they ever contain “Sodium silicoaluminate?”

• It is an anti caking agent that is commonly added to powdered foods to prevent the formation of lumps and for easing packaging, transport, and consumption.

Why was it removed?  

• The leadership at Shelf Reliance is committed to having the best and healthiest products.  One of the thing they did not like was this additive.  So it was removed.

• One of the problems that I found with the powdered eggs was that sometime when using a commercially packaged cake mix, the powdered eggs would cause the cake to be VERY crumbly.  This was the anti caking agent at work.   

So I was curious, how do the new eggs work in baking.  I made a few batches of cupcakes to try out the new eggs.  And when I say a few batches I mean 4.

• Batch #1 as a control made exactly how the box said using fresh eggs.
• Batch #2  made with the old powdered eggs, using the correct number of eggs and water (1 Tablespoon powdered eggs + 2 Tablespoons water = 1 egg)
• Batch #3 made with the new powdered eggs that do not contain the anti caking agent, using tusing the correct number of eggs and water (1 Tablespoon powdered eggs + 2 Tablespoons water = 1 egg)
• Batch #4 Made with egg white powder, according to the boxed mix directions for egg whites only.  (1 teaspoon egg white powder + 2 tsp water = 1 egg white)  I do realize that not all cake mixes contain directions for using egg whites only, but I chose one that did because I wanted to see how it compared.

Results:  

Batch #1 made with fresh eggs.  Turned out just as you would expect.  The cake held together well and the air pockets were small.
   

Batch #2  made with the old powdered eggs that contain the anti caking agent.

This batch was a little crumbly, and had a much larger crumb.  Notice the large “wholes” or in the photo.  I thought that this was an acceptable cupcake, when looking at it on its own, but when compared to the others there was definitely a difference.

Batch #3 made with the new powdered eggs that do not contain the anti caking agent.  This batch had a fine crumb (much smaller than any of the others) and held together well.  There was no crumbling.


Batch #4 Made with egg white powder, according to the boxed mix directions for egg whites only.  
This cake tore apart as I removed the cupcake wrapper.  Possibly because the lack of fat in the batter.  The crumb was large and it crumbled easily.  In my experience this is pretty typical of cakes baked with egg whites.

Summary:  Personally I prefer my food to have as few additives as possible.  I like that the powdered eggs now contain only eggs.  The cupcakes with the new eggs held together better and had a finer crumb.  I see those all as positive things.  I am pleased with the change in powdered eggs.  One of the reasons that I like to bake with powdered eggs is that it gives you a consistent result.  Fresh eggs vary slightly in water content and protein content which can cause  variations in the final product.  I am very pleased with the fine crumb that the new powdered eggs created in the cup cakes.  

Powdered Egg Questions and Answers

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to bring you  powdered egg questions and answers.  (we will get back to was to beat the summer heat soon)

I keep getting asked questions about powdered eggs, so I thought I might answer them all in one place: 
 

Questions 1:  How do you use powdered eggs in baking?

Powdered eggs do NOT need to be reconstituted in order to be used in baked goods such  as cake, cookies, or bread.  Add the dry egg powder when you add the dry ingredients and  the water when you add the wet.   Powdered eggs work great if you are making your own mixes!  Here is the chart I use to help me remember how many powdered eggs to use.

In Baking	Add to the Dry Ingredients	Add to the wet ingredients
To Replace 1 medium egg (this is what I always do and I have never had a problem)	1 Tablespoon egg powder	2 Tablespoons water
To replace 2 medium eggs	2 Tablespoon egg powder	1/4 cup water
To replace 3 medium eggs	3 Tablespoons eggs powder	6 Tablespoons water
To replace 4 medium eggs	4 Tablespoons eggs powder	1/2 cup water
If you are replacing Large eggs. I have found that in most recipes the medium egg replacement works great.	2 Tablespoons eggs powder	1/4 cup water

Questions 2:  Do THRIVE powdered eggs taste weird? 

 I have been cooking with THRIVE powdered eggs for over a year now, and I have not noticed any weird flavors.  But at our house my husband is the “weirdness detector” here is what he has to say.

 “The only difference I can find between fresh eggs and powdered eggs is that when you make scrambled eggs (from powdered eggs), it is like someone with OCD mixed the eggs because they are 100% blended. No white streaks in the scrambled eggs.  Other than that you can’t tell.”

Note:  Last summer another food storage company (who shall remain nameless) had a super sale on powdered eggs. So I bought some.  I tried them and they are terrible!  I think they taste weird.  I don’t like them.  Now I won’t buy any powdered eggs but the THRIVE powdered eggs.  Just remember that not all food storage is created equal. 

Question 3:  Can powdered eggs be used to make scrambled eggs?

         Yes

Things to know about making scrambled eggs from egg powder
1.  Using a whisk, whip air into the powdered whole eggs before scrambling. This makes the texture like fresh eggs.
2. When you reconstitute powdered eggs they are a watery consistency, and these do NOT have the gelatinous texture that fresh eggs have.
3.  When you first start scrambling powdered eggs  they do not look right. They color is a little to orange and the texture is all wrong. Never fear it will work. As the eggs cook they become the correct color and texture.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs made from Powdered Eggs-Make 8 scrambled eggs
1 cup dried whole eggs
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients into a 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup (or similar).  Beat mixture for 3 minutes or until completely dissolved and frothy. (I use my immersion blender.  And when I say beat I really do mean it. You are NOT mixing to combine. You are beating the eggs until they are all of the way dissolved and there are NO lumps.  Then you are beating some more.  By beating the egg mixture for a few minutes you are incorporating air into the eggs, this help the texture turn out right).  Add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil to a large skillet.  Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add the egg mixture to the hot oil. Cook eggs using medium low heat, stirring continuously until dry and crumbly.

Question 4: Once my can of powdered eggs is opened do I need to refrigerate them?

No, powdered eggs are shelf stable until reconstituted. Once you mix them with water you need to treat them the same way you would treat fresh eggs.  

Questions 5:  How many powdered eggs are in one can? 

236 medium eggs.

Questions 6:  Are powdered eggs really less expensive then grocery store eggs?

Yes!

 

What to see the math?  Here it is:

Background info on the numbers
One can of THRIVE powdered eggs costs $20.99 and there are 236 eggs per can.  

In May 2011 on average in the US one dozen eggs costs :  $1.692  (according to: the US department of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/ro3/apmw.htm)

THRIVE Powdered Eggs (June 2011): 

$20.99 / 236 eggs per can =  $0.089 / egg. 
Let’s just round up and say 1 powdered egg cost $0.09. 

Grocery Store Eggs (May 2011) :  
 $1.692 per dozen eggs.  $1.692/ 12 eggs = $0.141 per egg.    
 So let’s round down and say that one egg at the grocery store costs $0.14

The sum up: 

One THRIVE powdered egg costs $0.09

One egg from the grocery store costs $0.14

 Questions 7:  If I make cookie dough with powdered eggs can I eat it without fear of getting food poisoning? 

Yes THRIVE Egg powder is pasteurized, so it is safe to use without cooking or baking.

Did I Miss Any?  Anything else you want to know about powdered egg?  All you have to do is ask.  

My favorite Powdered Egg Recipes:

1.        French Toast

2.       Scrambled Eggs

3.       German pancakes

4.       Crepes

5.       Bread Pudding

6.       French Breakfast Muffin Mix

7.       Sugar Cookies

8.       Hot Chocolate Cookies

9.       Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

10.   Blueberry Muffin Mix

Other super cool things to do with powdered eggs

Homemade mayo with powdered eggs:  from Melarky.com

Make A Mix: French Breakfast Muffins and Muffin Link Party

photo source: www.familyfun.com

Several years ago I ran across this delightful recipe in Family Fun Magazine and have been making it ever since.  These muffins are the perfect Sunday morning breakfast food.  My kids say they are better then doughnuts.  I started making my own mix for these muffins after being late for church on multiple Sunday mornings because we were eating these muffins.  When I make this mix I line up 6 Ziploc bags, and add the flour to each bag and then I put the flour away, then I add the sugar to each bag continuing down the list of ingredients. This assembly line set up makes it easy to make a bunch at once.   Make sure to squeeze any extra air out of the bags.  Be sure to add cooking instructions to the bag.  I usually just write it on with a sharpie but you can also print out the recipe and tape it on.

Printable Recipe

French Breakfast Muffin Mix:

In a zip-lock bag add: 

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1  tablespoon powdered eggs

3 Tablespoons powdered milk

To make the mix you need:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 cup water

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375°. Butter the bottoms (only) of 12 standard-size muffin cups and set the pan aside. Add mix to a medium-size bowl, whisk together. In a separate bowl blend in the water,  melted butter, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it's evenly blended, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the cups.  Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small bowl. Set both bowls next to the muffins. Working one muffin at a time, quickly dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you'd like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they're still warm. Serve immediately.  Makes 12 muffins.

 

Original Recipe: French Breakfast Muffins

Source: Family Fun Magazine

Muffins

 2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1  large egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375°. Butter the bottoms (only) of 12 standard-size muffin cups and set the pan aside. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg until it's frothy. Blend in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it's evenly blended, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the cups.  Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small bowl. Set both bowls next to the muffins. Working one muffin at a time, quickly dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you'd like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they're still warm. Serve immediately. Makes 12 muffins. 

Amazing Blueberry Muffins-Make your own mix

A few years ago I found this recipe in the Taste of Home Magazine.  I tried it and I have loved it.  It is easy to make and a great way to start the day.  I have a couple of muffin recipes that I make pretty often, for those recipes I make my own mixes.  Let's be honest some morning measuring flour and sugar are beyond me, but I can dump a mix into a bowl and stir.  I usually use frozen blueberries for this recipe but Freeze Dried Blueberries that have been rehydrated in hot water work well too.

 

Bonnie’s Blueberry Muffins

Courtesy of Heritage House, Chesaning, Michigan

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

⅓ cup butter or margarine, melted

 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or freeze dried *

Additional butter or margarine, melted

Additional Sugar

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat eggs. Blend in milk, butter, nutmeg and vanilla; pour into dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

*If using frozen blueberries, rinse and pat dry before adding to batter. If using freeze dried rehyrate in boiling water and drain well before adding.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Make your Own Mix

In a resealable bag:

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon egg powder

¼ cup dry milk

To make:

In a mixing bowl add mix, 1 ¼ cup water, ⅓ cup melted butter or vegetable oil and 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix with wooden spoon until combine.  Gently fold in 2 cups blueberries.  Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes.

German Panckes from powdered eggs

When I first was married, my sister-in-law Sharon told me there were two things my husband loved to eat, and asked for ever time he was at her house, German pancakes and peanut butter bars.  She gave me both recipes and we have been making them ever since.

Never heard of German Pancakes? They are sometimes referred to as dutch baby pancakes. They are a sweet breakfast dish similar to Yorkshire pudding, and is kind of like a thick sweet crepe.  They ares made with eggs, flour, and milk. And are great served with lemon, butter, powdered sugar, or fruit toppings or syrup.  As you cook the batter it puffs up creating hills and valleys. when you take it out of the oven it often deflates. That is okay it is still wonderful. 

German Pancakes
Preheat oven to 400
Melt 6 TBSP butter in a 9 x 13 pan
6 Tablespoons powdered eggs, plus 3/4 cup water, mixed very well, I use my immersion blender for about 3 minutes
1 c flour
1 c milk
½ tsp salt

Mix all together and pour on top of melted butter. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden. Brown. Feed 6-9

**Note  I use THRIVE Powdered Whole Eggs for this recipe.  I have tried it with other brands and they do not work.