MERINGUE COOKIES: TOY BOX LOLLIPOPS
Perfect for a baby shower or kid’s birthday celebration, these colorful meringues are surprisingly easy to make. They are also a great, sweet alternative to really heavy desserts. Toy stores offer endless inspiration for recipe presentations and serving props. We baked these whimsical shapes directly onto long wooden skewers like lollipops so that we could arrange them easily into the toy box pictured. You could also pipe out flower shapes onto the skewers and arrange them like flowers in a vase or skip the skewers all together and simply serve the meringues on a cookie tray.
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients:
- 24 to 36 wooden skewers
- 8 large egg whites
- 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 different food coloring of choice
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lay wooden skewers 1/2 inch apart on the parchment.
Step 2
Combine the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.
Step 3
Divide the egg white mixture evenly among four separate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl, using a different color in each. Stir gently until desired color is achieved. Transfer the mixtures to four separate piping bags fitted with large star and round tips, then pipe out different shapes on top of the skewers.
Step 4
Bake the meringues for 1 1/2 hours or until completely dry. Allow the meringues to cool completely and store in a perfectly dry, airtight container for up to 2 days.
Step 5
This tutorial is printed with permission from The Big Dish: Recipes to Dazzle and Amaze from America's Most Spectacular Restaurant
by Barton G. Weiss and published by Rizzoli.
