Mini Meringues

There is a Greek Pastry shop next to our local produce store that sells the brightest most crispy meringues that Ebrahim is absolutely crazy about. Finally on a boring rainy day we decided to make them at home!

For whites of 1 egg you need 1/4 cup of caster sugar (I usually use regular sugar and grind it finely in my coffee grinder!) and a few drops of vanilla essence. Most recipes call for Cream of Tartar but I never have it handy and they turn out fine without it.

To separate the egg whites it is best to use cold eggs, but before whisking the whites give them some time to warm up to room temperature.

With an electric beater, whisk on medium speed till soft peaks are formed. Add the sugar a little at a time and whisk on med-high speed till they hold very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla essence. 

For the different colors I separate out the mixture into separate bowls and beat in the desired food coloring. Wilton is my most preferred brand as it is tasteless and washes away easily with water. 

Use a piping bag to pipe out the meringues or using two spoons, make small mounds of meringues onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add sprinkles if you'd like.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 F for 1.5 hours till the meringues get a little pale in color and crisp. One sign that they are cooked is that they will easily release from the parchment paper.

Leave the oven door open just a crack (I stick a wooden spoon in the door), and leave them to cool IN the oven for 5-6 hours or overnight.