you're making mealtime meaningful.
Nothing says spring like pastels. A bouquet of hushed hues that boast a quiet but powerful vibrancy of life, blooming out of the somber, gray blanketing expanse of winter skies and piles of numbing snow. These fresh delicate hues bring a sense of levity that can only translate into a sweet delightful treat. These Pastel Kisses are an homage to spring. A trio of extracts flavor a classic meringue base with an intriguing floral taste. Divided and dyed to become just the right shade of soft hues, the meringues get baked until they are as perfectly crisp and light as a fresh spring day.
These meringues are simple, requiring only egg whites and sugar as the main base.
After prepping your pans with parchment paper, tackle the meringue by whipping the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Once soft peaks form, gradually add the sugar, one small spoonful at a time. As tempting as it is to dump all of the sugar in at once, adding too much sugar will deflate the meringue and alter the texture, which can’t be fixed. So stick to the slow and steady process! Once the one spoonful of sugar is incorporated and you can’t see any more granules, you can add the next spoonful of sugar.
Now, most recipes leave the meringues neutral, but these Pastel Kisses have a slight essence of extracts that when blended, make for a delightful fragrant floral quality. Vanilla, coconut, and almond extracts when blended, make for a unique and bright pop of flavor that complements the cheery, bite-sized meringues.
The meringue, once whipped, looks soft and billowy like marshmallow fluff.
Divide the meringue into four bowls, tinting each portion with a different color. Add the food coloring in small portions, adding more only to achieve the desired shade. Since these are light pastel hues, you don’t need a lot of color.
These meringues don’t need a lot of space to bake, so you can pipe many onto one tray, giving each meringue an inch of room in between.
Bake the meringues for a minimum of one and a half hours. If the meringues are still sticking to the paper after that initial bake time, bake them for another thirty minutes. As annoying as it is, you’ll have to leave the meringues to rest in the oven until they are completely cooled. This oven cool down allows the insides to cook completely and helps dry out the meringues, giving you that great, crispy, crunchy texture.
These Pastel Kisses are the embodiment of a cute and happy spring. The color and light, airy texture makes for a wonderful treat.
Each bite has a complex flavoring that tastes like vanilla but not quite. The meringue enhanced by vanilla, coconut, and almond extracts makes for a delightful bite, different from your average meringue.
Wrapped in cellophane bags with a bow, these would make great gifts, or you could gift them to yourself, because you may not want to share. While they’re a great pop of sweetness, Pastel Kisses pair wonderfully with fruit and cream, or even as a topping for an ice cream sundae.
However, when you eat them, you’ll find yourself getting a dose of happiness with each and every bite.
Pastel Kisses
Yield(s): Makes 40 to 50 mini meringues
20m prep time
2h cook time
2h inactive
Allergens: Eggs
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Blue, green, yellow, and pink food gel
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 200°F and line 2 to 3 baking trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- While still whipping the egg whites, gradually add sugar, one small spoonful at a time. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, add in extracts. Once all combined, continue to whip until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Divide the meringue into 4 bowls. Tint each portion with a different color. Add more food coloring if needed to achieve the desired shade.
- Transfer each tinted meringue into separate piping bags fitted with a star, round, or shell tip.
- Pipe small designs onto prepared pans 1-inch apart.
- Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until they are dry to the touch and can be easily removed from the parchment paper without the meringue sticking.
- Leave the meringues in the oven for another 1 to 2 hours until cooled.
- Meringues will store at room temperature in a container for 1 week. Make sure it is a cool, dry place, any moisture will alter the meringue’s texture. Do not refrigerate.