Alright folks, the international day of L – O -V – E is coming up and I wanted share a fun little treat as an alternative to your regular old Valentines. Now, if you know me (AND the whole “Recipe Schmecipe” thing) then you know that I am not usually one for baking and/or strict measurements BUT these little cookies are actually pretty foolproof and seriously delicious, so I am posting them. I did them in the shape of hearts but any shape, even spoon-dropped, works great!
These sweet little treats are basically made with just sugar and egg whites, but are so darn yummy! I added a little sprinkle of espresso beans to mine, but if you’re not a coffee person just leave them blank… I promise they won’t disappoint.
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You will need:
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
about 1 Tbs of finely chopped espresso beans
[Makes about 30 cookies]
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Preheat your oven to 200 F and pull out your mixer. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment.
Separate your yolks and whites. I do this by cracking my egg over a small bowl and switching the yolk over both shell-halves, letting the whites fall below into the bowl. I also do each egg one by one (separate yolk from whites, dump into mixing bowl, then start over) I do this just in case a yolk breaks or a shell falls into the small bowl, that way I can throw out the one egg as opposed to all three.
*These are the yolks NOT used in the dish. I just thought they were pretty.
Get all three egg whites into your mixing bowl and add cream of tartar (does that name gross anyone else out? Just curious…I meannnnn c’mon, ‘tartar’?!) Beat on medium until soft peaks form.
Add in your vanilla and start your mixer again on medium to medium-high. Slowly add in your sugar while you mix, until all the sugar is mixed in and stiff peaks form.
Prepare your baking sheet/s- place parchment paper on your baking sheet and using a dab of your egg white mixture, anchor your parchment paper at each corner to the baking sheet so it does not shift.
Transfer the rest of your egg white mixture to a pastry bag with a medium-small tip (or a zip seal bag and snip off a small corner). Use the pastry bag to squeeze out small heart shaped cookies (roughly 2″ x 2″). Sprinkle a small amount of chopped espresso beans on top (if you like things on the sweeter side I recommend putting espresso beans on half of the batch and leaving the other half plain) Bake at 200 F for about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 hour. Turn off heat and let meringues cool completely IN THE OVEN to fully dry out. They should be light crispy and airy… enjoy! *Store in airtight containers to avoid being exposed to any moisture. We don’t want soggy cookies now do we?
You will need:
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
about 1 Tbs of finely chopped espresso beans
[makes about 30 cookies]
Preheat your oven to 200 F and pull out your mixer. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment.
Separate your yolks and whites. I do this by cracking my egg over a small bowl and switching the yolk over both shell-halves, letting the whites fall below into the bowl. I also do each egg one by one (separate yolk from whites, dump into mixing bowl, then start over) I do this just in case a yolk breaks or a shell falls into the small bowl, that way I can throw out the one egg as opposed to all three.
Get all three egg whites into your mixing bowl and add cream of tartar (does that name gross anyone else out? Just curious…I meannnnn c’mon, ‘tartar’?!) Beat on medium until soft peaks form.
Add in your vanilla and start mixer again on medium to medium-high. Slowly add in your sugar while you mix, until all the sugar is mixed in and stiff peaks form.
Prepare your baking sheet/s- place parchment paper on your baking sheet and using a dab of your egg white mixture, anchor your parchment paper at each corner to the baking sheet so it does not shift.
Transfer the rest of your egg white mixture to a pastry bag with a medium-small tip (or a zip seal bag and snip off a small corner). Use the pastry bag to squeeze out small heart shaped cookies (roughly 2″ x 2″). Sprinkle a small amount of chopped espresso beans on top (if you like things sweet I recommend putting espresso beans on half of the batch and leaving the other half plain) and bake at 200 F for about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 hour. Turn off heat and let meringues cool completely IN THE OVEN to fully dry out. They should be light crispy and airy… enjoy! *Store in airtight containers to avoid being exposed to any moisture. We don’t want soggy cookies now do we?