I found this recipe over at Good Housekeeping. With minimal ingredients, it looks like a promising (and simple-to-make) confection.
In lieu of a decorating bag, you can use a ziploc baggie and just cut one of the corners off. Squeeze the meringue through the hole (known as "piping") to make little kiss-shaped candies.
There's a good video tutorial on the America's Test Kitchen website that shows how.
In lieu of a decorating bag, you can use a ziploc baggie and just cut one of the corners off. Squeeze the meringue through the hole (known as "piping") to make little kiss-shaped candies.
There's a good video tutorial on the America's Test Kitchen website that shows how.
You can package them in little jars or cellophane bags. (Although you'll want to store them in an air-tight container until you're ready to give them as gifts.)
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 4 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment.
- In medium bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. With mixer running, sprinkle in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until sugar dissolves and meringue stands in stiff, glossy peaks when beaters are lifted. Gently fold in lemon peel.
- Spoon meringue into decorating bag fitted with 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe meringue into 1 1/2-inch stars, about 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake meringues until crisp but not brown, 1 hour 30 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven until dry, 1 hour. Remove meringues from oven. Turn oven temperature back to 200 degrees F. Repeat with remaining meringue.
- Cool meringues completely. Remove from parchment with wide metal spatula. Store in tightly sealed container at room temperature up to 1 month.
Alternative Flavors
Peppermint: Instead of lemon, you can do away with the lemon peel and add a 1/2 -1 tsp. of peppermint extract (it can be a bit strong, so be warned).
Don't have peppermint extract? If you have peppermint hard candies, you can crush up about 1/2 cup of those and mix it into the the meringue.
Vanilla: Forgo the lemon peel and add 1 tsp. vanilla to the meringue.
Almond: If you have almond extract, you can add 1 tsp. of that (in lieu of the lemon peel).
