Pink and Sparkly!

by Mara @ What's For Dinner? on April 21, 2010

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I’ve always held a spot in my heart for meringues. Apparently, when I was a little girl, we’d go to Baker’s Square (then called Poppin’ Fresh) for pie, and I’d always want the “Lemon Syringe” pie… have I mentioned that I was a special child?

My mom would make lemon meringue pie, and until one random Passover, I didn’t know of any other kind of meringue. Then, one year, my mom made meringue cookies. They were puffy, full of chocolate chips, and completely dissolved upon hitting the tongue…and I was in LOVE! Not long after that, tubs of meringues were available at the grocery store, and they were a Weight Watcher’s dream, coming in at 1 Point for about a thousand of them.

Until the other day, I had shied away from making my own meringues because well, I didn’t have a mixer! I’ve got some arm strength, but not nearly enough to whip egg whites into stiff peaks! Now, I’m unstoppable! I made rows upon rows upon rows of pink shiny and sprinkled meringues!

The recipe is simple:

Girly Pink Meringues

Ingredients

* 4 egg whites

* 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

* 1/2 tsp. salt

* 1 1/3 c. sugar

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

* 1/3 c. miniature chocolate chips (optional)

* food coloring as desired (I used Wilton icing coloring in Rose)

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 300*

1. Place your egg whites into the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and allow to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (Don’t worry, they won’t spoil!)

2. Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the salt and cream of tartar.

3. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the vanilla, and begin adding the sugar 2 Tbsp. at a time.

4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and are bright white and glossy. Add the food color at this point, and continue whipping until the color is evenly distributed.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with the large tip of your choice. I used the “blank” bag.

6. Pipe into the size and shape you want. I went with “kiss” shapes and got about 75 of them.

7. Bake at 300* until dry to the touch, about 25 to 30 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM THE OVEN!

8. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to sit in the cooling oven until completely cool. This allows for proper drying.

ENJOY!

They’re pink alright. And they’re sparkly. I think they’re perfect for anyone who likes anything pink… or sparkly… or sweet… or well, the husband of someone who likes things that are pink, sparkly and sweet! As a matter of fact, half of these meringues are going to a few coworkers, students, and friends…and the rest? Yeah, they’re Adam’s!

Oh, and for those of you wondering about the “random plate of roasted food” that I tweeted about?