PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Filed under Desserts, Holidays

Ingredients
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup white sugar
20 peppermint candies, crushed

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.  In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in 1 tablespoon of the crushed peppermint.  Drop by spoonfuls or pipe onto prepared cookies sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Sprinkle remaining crushed peppermint over the cookies.  Bake for 1 approximately 1 1/2 hours--baking time will vary slightly depending on the size of your meringues.  Do not allow meringues to brown.  They should be completely dry on the inside. When meringues are done, turn off the oven an leave the door ajar. Let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from parchment with a spatula. Meringues may be stored, loosely covered, in a cool dry place for up to 2 months.

Let's Dish
Thank goodness these melt-in-your-mouth morsels are fat free, because I can't stop eating them!  If only they were calorie free too.  I like making smaller meringues because they're the perfect size for stirring into hot chocolate, but you can make them any size you'd like.  Just keep an eye on them while they're in the oven.  If they start to brown, you'll have to reduce your oven temperature and/or the cooking time.  I find that 1 1/2 inch meringues take about 90 minutes, but smaller meringues (Hershey Kiss size) are done in just over an hour.  I also find that my meringues turn out best when I use room temperature eggs and a cold mixing bowl. 

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com