Now, I know it’s no longer Christmas, and most of you are probably trying to eat healthier in the new year, but I promised my mom I would post this recipe, and I really just love it; I had to share it with you all. Every year, I make my brother in-law, Mark, some kind of cookie. This year, he requested peppermint meringues. He’s a huge candy lover, the tooth achingly sweet kind of candy. I’ve never made meringues before, so I was pretty excited about this. Especially since I could make them look like little red and white swirled pillows..
The recipe I found from Joy the Baker, who adapted it from Martha Stewart. I had plenty from this recipe that I had quite a bit left over after I filled a tin for Mark; my mom ended up loving them so much that I filled a little bag up for in her stocking. Once they were gone, she’s asked over and over for the recipe.. so here it is, Mom!
Peppermint Meringues
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t peppermint extract
red food coloring
2 candy canes, crushed
Place egg whites and sugar into a heat proof bowl of a stand mixer; set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the sugar is dissolved (and warm to the touch), about 2 minutes. With the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, mix on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Stir in the peppermint extract.
Into your pastry bag, place a few drops of red food coloring down along the sides (if you use gel paste coloring, you can paint stripes down the side). Fill your pastry bag with the meringue, and pipe small star shapes (about 3/4″ high) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Bake the cookies for about 1 hour and 40 minutes at 175ºF, until crisp. Let cool completely on the sheets. Store in an airtight container.