Almond Meringue Kisses Food

ALMOND KISSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Start with Alton's Sugar Cookie Dough recipe.
• On a work surface, knead the flour into the Sugar Cookie Dough until well combined. Add chopped almonds and almond extract and knead dough until evenly incorporated.
• Scoop level tablespoons of dough and roll into smooth balls between the palms of your hands. Place balls about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Bake until set and golden on the bottom, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Stir the confectioner's sugar and sanding sugar together in a shallow dish.
• While cookies are still warm, roll in sugar mixture with a fork until completely coated, gently pressing cookies into mixture to adhere the sanding sugar. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225°F.
• Beat whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they hold soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup superfine sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat at high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, 1 to 3 minutes. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup sugar gently but thoroughly.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a small dab of meringue on all 4 corners of each sheet, then turn paper over, pressing on corners to adhere parchment to baking sheets.
• Spoon meringue into pastry bag. You will be making 4 lattice cookies on each sheet, so work in 1 quadrant for each: Pipe 4 (4-inch-long) diagonal lines, about 5/8 inch apart, then pipe 4 (4-inch-long) parallel lines diagonally across original 4 lines, 5/8 inch apart, to form a lattice. Make 3 more lattice meringues on same baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle half of almonds over meringues. Pipe 4 more lattice meringues on second baking sheet in same manner, then sprinkle with remaining almonds.
• Bake meringues in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and pale golden, about 1 hour total.
• Cool meringues completely on sheets on racks, about 1 hour, then carefully peel from parchment.

ALMOND MERINGUE KISSES ( KITCHEN AID)

Steps:

• Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Gradually turn to speed 10 and whip about 2 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
• Reduce to Speed 4 and gradually add sugar, beating about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add almond extract. Turn to Speed 10 and whip 1/1/2 minutes, or until very stiff. Fold in almonds with rubber spatula.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased and floured or parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Bakeat 325 for 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

MERINGUE KISSES WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until.
• foamy. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until whites are glossy and stand in stiff peaks.
• Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and.
• forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved.
• Gently fold in almonds.
• Drop by tablespoonsful or pipe through pastry tube or food-storage bag onto lightly greased or lined (foil or waxed, brown, or parchment paper) baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated 225 degree oven until firm, about 1 hour.
• Turn off oven.
• Let stand in oven with door closed until cool, dry, and crisp, at least 1 additional hour.
• Store in tightly sealed container with waxed paper between layers.
• (If stored cookies lose crispness, bake in preheated 200ºF oven about 15 to 20 minutes.).
• Variations:.
• Use amounts listed for 1 batch of cookies.
• To make 2 variations at a time, divide meringue mixture equally between 2 bowls.
• Beat or fold 1/2 the ingredient amounts listed for 1 variation into 1 of the bowls.
• For all variations, omit ground almonds.
• Brandy Alexander; Beat in 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon brandy extract.
• Chocolate; Beat in 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
• Citrus; Beat in 2 tablespoons grated orange peel, 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, and a few drops yellow food coloring.

MERINGUE KISSES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they hold soft peaks.
• Gradually add sugar, beating, and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
• Drop heaping teaspoons (not measuring spoons) of meringue about 1 inch apart onto baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 45 minutes.
• Turn oven off and leave meringues in oven 1 hour more.
• With a metal spatula transfer meringues to a rack to cool completely.
• Meringue kisses may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.
• Makes about 24 meringue kisses.

MERINGUE KISSES (ALMOND/ORANGE/STRAWBERRY/MINT/COCOA VARIATIONS)

Steps:

• Preheat over to 225 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar with cornstarch and reserve. In a medium bowl, with electric mixer on high speed beat together egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Reduce mixer speed to medium and gradually beat in reserved sugar-cornstarch mixture until incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for five minutes, scraping down sides of bowl several times, until stiff and glossy peaks form. If using a pastry bag, fill with mixutre otherwise drop little rounded mounds of meringue with a tablespoon spacing 1/2 inch apart.
• For crisp meringues, bake in preheated oven until firm to the touch and crisp throughout, about 1 1/2 hours, turning baking sheet once from front to back halfway through baking. For chewier meringues, bake about 1 1/4 hours, rotating sheet once halfway through baking.
• Cool meringues slightly on baking sheet on wire rack. Transfer meringues to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
• ORANGE KISSES:.
• Follow directions, substituting one teaspoon orange extract for vanilla and almond extracts and adding 12 drops orange food coloring.
• STRAWBERRY KISSES:.
• Follow directions, substituting 1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract for vanilla and almond extracts and adding 12 drops red food coloring.
• MINT KISSES:.
• Follow directions, substituting 1/4 teaspoon mint extract for vanilla and almond extract and adding 12 drops green food coloring.
• COCOA KISSES:.
• Follow directions, substituting 1 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract for vanilla and almond extracts. After beating egg white mixture, sift 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder over mixture and fold it gently in until thoroughly blended.