‘When I grow up I want to be ______‘
How did you used to fill in that blank? As a teenager I would often change my mind and my life goals. Because when you are in high school, you have it all figured out. At least you think you do. For a couple of years I thought I wanted to be an Air Force pilot. No really, I did. But then September 11th happened and everything changed. After that I thought that being a police officer would be pretty cool. I graduated high school and went to community college, still thinking I wanted to be a cop. I realized I needed to lose some weight to be able to run after criminals and I started to exercise and watched what I ate. Well, that then led to an interest in nutrition. Which made me change my mind yet again.
I switched my focus to nutrition, which was very interesting and I still retain a lot of that information. Can you see where I am going with this? The interest in nutrition led to an interest in nutritional cooking, which led me to culinary school.
That was over four years ago, and as you can see, food is my focus now more than ever. I have briefly mentioned on this blog that this summer I will be going back to school to study photography. I can’t wait to see where that takes me because I have learned that you can’t predict the future. But I do see myself holding a camera in one hand, and a fork in the other. That would make me happy (and hopefully lots of money!)
People have been making meringue since the 1600′s and it is said to have been invented in a Swiss town called Meiringen by an Italian chef. A basic meringue cookie consists of egg whites and sugar, so this in a timeless recipe.
I just love meringue cookies. I remember making a batch with my grandmother and I have loved them ever since. They are light, sweet, airy and easy to flavor. I made peppermint, hot chocolate and blueberry. The blueberry was my favorite.
Meringue Cookies
yield: 60-65 cookies
6 Egg Whites
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Pure Peppermint Extract
1 1/2 tsp dehydrated blueberry powder
1 1/2 tsp sugar free hot cocoa powder
preheat oven to 175 degrees
1. Place egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl to an electric mixer. Set bowl over a simmering pan of hot water and stir until sugar has dissolved and liquid is warm to the touch. This should take 2-3 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip until stiff peaks form. Divide into three clean bowls.
3. Add the peppermint extract to the first, the blueberry powder to the second, and the hot cocoa mix to the third. Gently mix each until well combined.
4. Place each mixture into a piping bag with any style pastry tip attached. Pipe equal sized stars or shapes onto two parchment lined baking sheets. (To achieve the marbled look, paint stripes in the inside of your piping bag with food coloring gel.)
5. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until crispy but not browned. You should be able to pull the meringue cookie off the baking sheet without it sticking. Turn the oven off and let the cookies cool in the oven. Store in airtight containers.
For printable recipe click
here.
These would be perfect served at a number of events! You can make them in any color, which makes them great for parties, gifts, or even candy stations which are popular at weddings right now. And being that the main ingredients are egg whites and sugar, almost anyone can enjoy these cookies. I may not know where I will be in another five years, but wherever that is I hope to have meringue cookies nearby!
People have been making meringue since the 1600′s and it is said to have been invented in a Swiss town called Meiringen by an Italian chef. A basic meringue cookie consists of egg whites and sugar, so this in a timeless recipe.
Meringue Cookies
