Swirly Twirly Mint Drops: Peppermint Meringues

I volunteered to bring some baked goods to an office wedding shower, and I was informed that the happy couple likes meringues and healthy desserts. Actually, this wasn't a surprise to me -- I used to have an office directly across the hall from the bride to be, and I distinctly remember her raving about my Ginger Meringue Kisses and the Meringues from Baked Explorations. I decided to try a new recipe, and I found one for Peppermint Meringues on epicurious.com.

I do love the simplicity of meringues. I beat room temperature egg whites with salt until they were foamy, and then slowly added sugar and beat the mixture to stiff peaks. Then I mixed in powdered sugar and peppermint extract, and added drops of red food coloring. I scraped the mixture into a pastry bag with a star tip and piped out the meringues on a parchment-lined pan. The recipe says it yields 30 meringues, but I made mine on the larger side and got 24.
Because I hadn't mixed in the food coloring, it came out in streaks, and I liked the swirl effect. I baked the meringues at 200 degrees for two and a half hours and let them cool completely. I was glad that fall weather had set in and it was a cool and dry day when I baked these; they were nice and crisp, with a bit of chew on the inside. The amount of peppermint flavor was just perfect -- refreshing, but not overpowering.

There's nothing not to like about these meringues, and the guests of honor really enjoyed them, so I was happy. I'm already planning to make these -- in both red and green -- for our holiday party in December!

Recipe: "Peppermint Meringues" from epicurious.com.

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