Snake Meringues Food

MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer); beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high; beat in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the extract or zest. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
• For colored cookies, swirl a few drops of food coloring into the meringue or use a small paintbrush to paint 3 long stripes of food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag. For chocolate chip versions, gently fold the mini chocolate chips into the mixture.
• Drop or pipe the meringue as desired, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours. Top with or dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with nonpareils.

SNAKE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Beat whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tblsp at a time, beating until dissolved between additions. This process will take about 10 minutes. Beat in cornflour and tint mixture with food colouring.
• Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm-fluted nozzle. Pipe 16cm-long snake shapes, 4cm-apart, on oven trays lined with baking paper.
• To decorate snakes, cut forked tongues from licorice using a small sharp knife and lightly press into front of meringue heads. Lightly press M&M's on top of heads for eyes.
• Cook in a very slow oven (120C) for about 40 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until firm to touch.
• Cool trays in oven with door slightly ajar.

SPLENDID SPLENDA MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Spray cookie sheet; set aside.
• Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a very clean bowl.
• Beat until foamy.
• Add splenda a little at a time until egg whites are stiff and glossy.
• Fold in vanilla.
• Spoon meringue on cookie sheet.
• Bake 18-20 minutes.
• Variations: Fold in 1-2 tbsp of cocoa with vanilla.
• Add different extracts instead/along with vanilla.
• Add food coloring with extracts (i.e swirl red coloring with peppermint extract.)

MERINGUES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
• 2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. On each, draw 10 4-inch circles.
• 3. Mix the sugars and set aside.
• 4. In a bowl or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Continue to beat, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time and beating well after each addition. This will take about 10 minutes.
• 5. Add the vanilla and beat at high speed until stiff and glossy.
• 6. Using a pastry tube fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the meringue in coils starting at the center and continuing to the outside of each circle.
• 7. Bake about 1 hour, until cream colored and firm. Leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for several hours or overnight without opening the oven door.
• 8. When ready to serve, carefully peel away the paper or foil.

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.