Meringue Cookies

For this you will need an electric mixer with whisk attachment, you can whisk the egg whites with hand, but it can be quite tedious because forming a meringue base requires lot of whisking for quite some time.

Ingredients : 

2 large egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartar or a pinch of salt

120 grams caster sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F with the rack in middle of the oven.

Place parchment paper on the bottom of a baking tray.

For the base :

1.             Put the egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar or salt in a metal bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Start to whisk on a low speed for 1 minute, then start to increase the speed to medium and whisk for another 2 minutes. By now the egg whites should start forming stiff and fluffy peaks. Continue to whisk and start adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture turns glossy ( this process may take up to10 minutes)
2.             
3.       Meringue base is very sticky, so add just a few little dollops of the base underneath the parchment paper so it sticks to the tray and does not move when you form the cookies. Take two metal spoons, one tablespoon to dollop the cookie base on the baking tray and another small spoon to help slide it over.
4.             
5.       You should get 8 meringue cookies out of it.
6.               
7.       Depending on your oven, the cookies should bake for 25 to 30 minutes until they turn pale and dry. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool and get dry in the oven with the door slightly opened, best to leave them overnight. You can store them is an air tight container for up to a week without refrigeration.

           

             Mini Pavlovas : Whip some whipping cream with caster sugar and dollop over the meringue cookie, and you can top it up with slices of fruits or berries of your choice, like kiwi, raspberry, mango or strawberries.