We are coming to the tail end of my 12 days of Homemade Christmas and I have a simple 5 ingredient treat. They are considered a cookie, not candy and are completely gluten free. My day 11 pic for my Homemade Christmas is Peppermint Meringues. These are sweet bites of airy and light with a bit of crispness, deliciousness! I seriously could eat them all. It is a good thing that they are only 13 calories!

Don’t let the meringue part scare you, making meringue is easy. All you really need is a good mixer as mixing by hand will not get you the same results. Here are a few of my best tips:

  • Pick a dry day to make your meringues. They will turn out better on a dry day compared to a rainy or extra humid day. The moisture will prevent the stiff peaks from properly forming.
  • Remember to use room temperature egg whites.
  • Be sure not to get any yolk mixed in with your egg whites. Your egg whites will not properly stiffen.
  • Do not beat your egg whites until they are just white, beat for an extra couple minutes. You are wanting stiff peaks.
  • Add your sugar and other add in’s (crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, etc.) slowly, don’t plop it in! You will lose air and your peaks can deflate.
  • You can dollop with a spoon but if you want to get fancy a freezer ziplock bag makes an excellent piping bag! Just cut the corner off for the tip.
  • Use parchment instead of foil or a silpat when baking.
  • Use an oven thermometer! Check your oven temperature to make sure it isn’t too hot before baking.
  • To help avoid cracks, do not take out of the oven until completely cool. My family is impatient so mine almost always have cracks. They are still pretty tasty with cracks.
  • Baking low and slow also help prevent cracks.I hope you and your family and friends like these Peppermint Meringues as much as mine does!

 

Peppermint Meringues | Country Girl Gourmet

 

Peppermint Meringues
 
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A light and airy peppermint cookie
Ingredients
  • 2 egg whites
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
  • *optional* ½-1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. If desired carefully fold in mini chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.
  3. Bake for 1½ hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com