Christmas Meringue Kisses
Let me start this off by saying that this is my first official Christmas recipe to bring in the festive season of 2022. How very exciting! I had made it my mission last Christmas to ensure that for the next one I will be organised enough to throw all sorts of festive recipes at you for the month leading up to December and right throughout.
Well, here I am - starting off the green and red season with these little meringue kisses. Being only November, these little treats make for a fantastic gift for friends, family or teachers. Simply pop them into a jar. Any old one laying around the house. I’m sure I’m not the only one who seems to hoard glass jars into a specific cupboard which was already overly full 30 jars ago. These are great for using them up - finally! A hand written note tied around the rim with a pretty ribbon makes the perfect gift or thank you memento for anyone hosting a Christmas/holiday gathering.
Not only are they quite easy to make, they can be decorated in any way you seem fit. Why not make a batch and leave them to cool in the oven overnight so that the next day you have a tasty treat for the kids to decorate over the holidays. Sprinkles, chocolate, edible glitter - they are pretty hard to mess up. You can even sandwich them together with your favourite biscuit filling of choice if you’re looking to make them just that little extra bit fancy.
On a different note, I have to make mention as to how wonderful it is this year to have the true freedom of travel for Christmas. Although we are very clearly not out of the woods yet when it comes to Covid-19. It’s still a wonderful prospect that so many of us now can travel and see family freely should we have the desire. The world has come a long way since the start of that dreaded virus. In fact, looking back on it now is enough to send shivers down my spine. I suppose one benefit of having a global pandemic is that it’s given us all the time we needed to truly realise what is important to us. The every day burn-out working hustle that was so frequently idolised has now had some light shone on it’s sustainability. Society is slowing down to prioritise itself for the most part and I for one am entirely grateful for it.
So in saying all this, I’m off to scourge out the best looking glass jars from that terrifying cupboard of mine. I shall not let the “no Christmas cheer before December” clique get me down! And if they do, so help me - I’ll throw a handful of Christmas kisses at them along my way to Kmart to buy tinsel!
Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g or 3 egg whites
- 2-3 drops each of red and green food gel (optional)
- 60g white chocolate - melted
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Line two large and one slightly smaller baking trays with baking paper, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
- Prepare piping bag by fitting a 15mm round or star-tipped nozzle at the end. Alternatively, use a large strong Ziploc bag. Take a tooth pick and dip the end into the food gel. Trace lines with the toothpick from the piping nozzle vertically up the bag. Not a lot of gel colouring is needed to achieve stripes in the finished meringue.
- Place egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Start to whip the egg whites on the lowest of speeds for about 5 minutes. Increase the speed at every 5 minute interval, stopping when medium speed is achieved. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.
- Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly across the smaller of the trays. Place in the preheated oven for 3 minutes or until the very outside of the sugar mass starts to melt. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 100°C.
- With the mixer running, slowly and carefully pour the sugar into the whites. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip until the mixture is smooth, glossy and stiff peaks form on the end of the whisk when removed.
- Spoon the mixture into the piping bag. Twist the opening of the bag to push the meringue to the tip. Slowly start to pipe desired shapes and sizes of meringue onto the prepared tray. I like to pipe mine so that they are roughly 1 inch in diameter at the base.
- Bake the meringues for 1 - 1.5 hours but watch closely at the 1 hour mark. Less time in the oven will achieve a chewy center, longer will make them more crisp. Once baked, leave in the oven to cool completely before removing.
- To finish, melt the white chocolate in a small, deep dish and pour a generous amount of sprinkles into another separate dish. Dip the bottom of each meringue into the chocolate, scrape the excess from the bottom before dipping into the sprinkles. Place on a tray lined with baking paper to set.
Notes
The meringue kisses will last in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Do not keep in the fridge as the moisture will soften the meringue and cause them to weep sugar.
Any additional kisses can be used as a garnish on any type of desserts that need a little "Glam-up". They are a beautiful addition to ice cream or a decoration on pavlova.