Christmas Meringues

A few weeks ago my sister asked me if I wanted to do a Christmas cookie exchange with her. Um, of course!! Do you really need to ask me that question or give me another excuse to bake like a maniac (Yes, maniac. I'm fairly certain my roommates think I'm kind of a psycho.)? So began the hunt for three Christmas cookie recipes. I had the hardest time choosing three, but I finally did it (pictures, posts, and recipes to follow very soon). Two of the recipes called for an egg yolk each. Since I didn't want to throw away the whites, I began thinking of what I could do with them. That's when I came across this recipe. I have never made meringue(s) before (and actually have never eaten one as a "cookie" either). So I decided to try it out.

A word of warning: If you are borrowing an electric mixer, make sure it works before you start! Trust me on this one. I cracked my eggs, separated the whites out, mixed in some tartar, and got my mixer ready. My finger on the mixer trigger, I was ready to whip these eggs like it was nobody's business. I grabbed the bowl, flipped the mixer switch, and...that was about it. It was completely broken. I texted everybody I knew; nobody owned a mixer. So I started beating my whites by hand. That was fun for about 2 minutes. I switched to the "let's be a boyscout and build a fire by spinning this stick between my hands" method and that proved to be fairly successful. However, there was no way I was going to get stiff peaks beating this stuff by hand. Thankfully, I'm a genius, and with some clever jury-rigging I managed to employ my little Bosch to help me make my meringue.

I didn't know what to expect out of these. When I popped one in my mouth, I was completely surprised to find it crunchy, light, and pleasantly delicious. They were so fun to make and I find them to be tasty little snacks for now and then. I used this recipe, added a little, and came up with the following:

3 Egg whites

1/4 tsp Cream of tartar

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

red/green sprinkles

Separate the egg whites into a large metal bowl. Be absolutely sure no yolk is in the whites. If there is, the whites won't whip up. Add cream of tartar to the whites. Beat with a mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time (while still beating). After all the sugar is added, beat until whites are stiff and glossy. Add vanilla. Beat for 30 more seconds.

Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (put a dot of meringue under each corner to prevent moving). Fill a 1-quart plastic bag with meringue. You may also use a pastry set if you have one. Snip the tip off the bag (about 1/2 inch hole) and pipe rising swirls at a 90 degree angle to the pan. Make them about 1.5 inches thick at the base, and space them about 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle with sprinkles or leave plain. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty