Peppermint Meringues

I haven't made these in a couple of years since I was living in FL last year and flew in for Christmas. I love them. A light holiday candy to counter balance all of the cookies and fudge, not that those aren't wonderful, I normally don't eat a lot of either of them. These, I love. Since I changed the original recipe I couldn't remember how much peppermint extract I added, so I added too much last night but I found my original write up from my old blog so you don't have to have such strong meringues as we are eating.

Peppermint Meringues
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).

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 whites form stiff peaks. It takes awhile to get to the proper consistency, you want it white and creamy. At the very end I added the peppermint extract as recommended by others. Fold it in gently. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies. I actually put the meringue mixture in a ziploc bag and cut out a tiny bit of the corner and squeezed out the meringue. One batch is enough to do one cookie sheet full. 

Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months. *I usually pull it out of the oven right away, I don't like them quite as dry.

Last night I used a microplane with the peppermint, I saw a chef do it on a cooking show but it was a lot of work and I actually prefer having a little crunch from crushed candy canes. Tonight I'm going to make the same recipe but with vanilla flavoring and green food color. Nancy wants some Christmas tree shaped ones. 

An easy and tasty recipe using ingredients that most of us already have on hand. Enjoy!

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About Leiha

I love to eat and sleep. One thing is more fun to blog about than the other. In between eating and sleeping I love to travel, spend time with my family and talk about myself. :)