This recipe is SO easy that there's really only four steps. Just be sure you do them right.
It's mini meringues. They're fat free, only 11 calories a piece, require just three ingredients, and taste like the outside of a toasted marshmallow. Here's what you do:
Ratios: 1 egg white to 1/16 teaspoon tartar to 1/3cup sugar (increase as needed)
Easy Instructions
1 - Beat egg whites on high until frothy.
2 - Beat in cream of tartar and continue to mix until soft peaks form.
3 - Slowly beat in sugar and continue to mix until glossy and stiff peaks form.
4 - Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets for an hour at 225 degrees.
Detailed Instructions
Do this on a cool, dry day. Too much heat or humidity wreck havoc on the results. Take some fresh, room temperature egg whites. By that I mean no yolk, AT ALL and let them sit on the counter for half an hour before using, and don't use the ones in the carton - ask me how I know this. Put the egg whites into a large, clean, dry metal mixing bowl. Remember I said not to do this when it's humid? Meringues do not like water. Water = bad results.
Mix the egg whites on high until they just start to look frothy, maybe a minute or so on high. Then add in the cream of tartar as it continues to mix. Cream of tartar is an acid. It will make your meringues hold their shape and stay stiff in the end, which is a good thing.
Continue mixing on high (by that I mean do not ever ever ever stop the beaters from going through this whole process). Test the mixture when it approximately triples in size, that's right, I said TRIPLES, by dipping a teaspoon into the meringue. When you pull out the spoon, the meringue should make a peak on the spoon that folds over but does not run off of the spoon. At this point, begin SLOWLY adding sugar. If you add it to quickly your meringues will be gritty, which is no bueno. Once you have (did I mention gradually?) added all of the sugar, continue mixing until the meringue on a teaspoon makes a stiff peak that doesn't fold over. The meringue will appear glossy.
At this point you have two options, either cook as is, or GENTLY fold in any extract for flavor. Keep in mind that these meringues are mostly air (due to all of that high-speed mixing) so the rougher you are with the meringue, the more it is going to fall flat and ruin your results. I made mine recently with cocoa powder and banana extract and they tasted like chocolate covered bananas. If you don't like things that are delicious, then don't try this.
Put the meringue into a ziplock bag and seal it then cut off a tip and pipe the meringue onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Cook them for about an hour at 225 degrees. When they're done, either eat them all and sit around in a sugar induced coma or store them in a cool, dry place inside a air-sealed container. Really, at 11 calories a piece, you can eat several of these and still not feel too guilty about it.
