Mini Meringues !

My first meringues !!!

I love them ! They are light and not as sweet as those selling in the shops! A low-protein desserts that brings so much delight in every bite !

 They were so easy to pipe !

 At first, I was thinking of colouring the entire meringue in blue but decided to just to have coloured swirls instead. The meringues look like pretty flowers ...

 

Line some food colours on a disposable piping bag ... scoop in your meringues in the piping bag and start to pipe .. those swirls will appear as you piped ..

The baked meringues after 30 mins !
 

Now for the red and yellow swirl ones ...

Using a different tip this time .. looks like stars ...

 Another batch of mini meringues !

Ingredients (adapted from BBC Goodfood website)

(I half the ingredients and make mini ones. This recipe and method is for very large meringues. I have reduce baking time to just 30 minutes)

• 4 egg whites
• 225g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

1. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment and set up a piping bag with a medium-size star nozzle.
2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until very stiff - the whites should stand in stiff, not floppy, peaks when the beaters are lifted out. Once you have reached this point, pour in roughly half the sugar and the vanilla extract and whisk again until the mixture becomes very thick, firm and shiny. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until thick, firm and shiny. If you like meringues with soft, mallowy centres, just add 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp white wine vinegar to the mix along with the sugar.
3. Carefully spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Push any air out of the top and tightly twist the end of the piping bag to seal. Gently squeeze until meringue is visible at the end of the nozzle, then begin piping onto your lined baking sheets. Pipe spiralling circles, about 6cm wide and 3 layers high - like you would ice a cupcake to make roughly 18. The meringues will spread slightly as they cook, so leave enough space between each one. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, turning the heat down to 120C/100C fan/gas ½ after 30 mins.
4. Remove from the oven - they should peel easily away from the parchment - and cool on a wire rack. Can be made up to a week ahead and kept in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months, between layers of parchment, in an airtight container.
5. To make Cream & chocolate meringues for dessert, put 100g dark chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water. Carefully dip the base of each meringue in to coat, then place on their sides on a plate or tray to set. While the chocolate sets, whip 300ml double cream. Assemble the meringues in pairs and sandwich their chocolate bases together with a good spoonful of cream. Delicious served with ice cream, raspberry coulis or fresh berries.