Crispy Cereal Meringues Food

HAZELNUT SUGAR COOKIE CEREAL

Steps:

• Gently combine the Mini Sugar Cookie Hearts, Mini Meringues, cherries, chocolate chips, coconut flakes and hazelnuts in a large bowl. (I ended up only using about two-thirds of the meringues because I liked that cookie-to-meringue ratio. The remaining meringues were kept aside for noshing and cake decorating!)
• Serve in a bowl with milk. Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. The cereal should keep for a couple of weeks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• In a food processor, process the hazelnuts until finely ground. Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat well to combine. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until combined.
• Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it's 1/4 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to cut out tiny hearts. Place the hearts on the baking sheets (they can be pretty close together) and bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven to 250 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes to really crisp them up. Let cool on the baking sheets.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Distribute the sugar in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges start to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. While the sugar is baking, add the egg whites to a stand mixer.
• Once the sugar has been in the oven for a few minutes, begin beating the egg whites on high until foamy. Reduce the mixer and gradually sprinkle in the warm sugar. Once all of it has been added, add the almond extract and food coloring. Beat on high until the meringue is stiff, glossy and cold, just a few minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 225 degrees F.
• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8- or 1/4-inch round tip with the egg white mixture. Pipe tiny dollops onto the parchment and bake for about 20 minutes, until the mini meringues are no longer shiny and crispy all the way through. Let cool on the baking sheets.

CRISPY BAKED MERINGUES

Steps:

• Whip the egg whites and salt into peaks.
• Add the vanilla, and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
• In a separate bowl, stir the cream of tartar into the regular sugar and whisk into the whites very gradually, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is stiff and the sugar has dissolved.
• Sift together the icing sugar and cornstarch. Sift over the meringue and gently fold until fully incorporated.
• Pipe or spoon the meringues onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Each meringue should be about the size of a bar of soap.
• Bake at 225ºF/110ºC until cream-coloured and crisp on top when tapped, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
• Remove from the oven. Cool on the trays. Store in an air-tight container.

CRISPY CEREAL MERINGUES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Fold in cereal. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 1 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 35-40 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in the corner of bag. Drizzle melted chocolate over meringues. Place on waxed paper to set.

CRISP CHEWY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Using a whisk or electric mixer, whip the egg whites and salt into peaks. Add the vanilla, and continue beating to stiff peaks.
• Stir the cream of tartar into the regular sugar and whisk into the whites very gradually, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is stiff and the sugar has dissolved.
• Sift together the icing sugar and cornstarch. Sift over the meringue and gently fold until fully incorporated.
• Pipe or spoon the meringues onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 225 degrees F/110 degrees C until cream-coloured and crisp on top when tapped, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the meringues from the oven. Cool on the trays. Store in an air-tight container.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.