Saturday, September 29, 2012

Vanilla Meringue Swirls for Halloween

Now I love chocolate but how about a Halloween treat that's a little lighter... Meringue! They are very pretty and are great for an adult party or as gifts for the neighbors. You are only limited by the colors of the food coloring paste/gel you have on hand... I would have liked to make these orange and black but didn't have black, so I decided orange and green would work just fine:@)
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This is actually a combination of two recipes, I used the meringue recipe from Taste of Home and the great swirl idea from Martha Stewart. Martha omitted the extract and used vanilla beans and 1 tsp finely grated  orange or lemon zest. I've seen everything from chocolate to raspberry meringues.

Vanilla Meringue Swirls
3 egg whites, room temp
*1 1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract-I used regular vanilla and would cut back next time
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
dash of salt
3/4 C sugar
Icing Coloring paste/gel-I used Wilton
  1. Add vanilla, tartar and salt to egg whites and beat till soft peaks form.
  2. Gradually beat in sugar (about 1 Tblsp at a time) until stiff, glossy peaks form. Approx 7 minutes on high.
  3. Add an icing tip to an icing bag or into the corner of a Ziplock bag (you can Google how folks do this). This calls for an Ateco #805 tip, any round opening tip will work-I used a Wilton 2A. You can't  go wrong here folks, if you only have a star tip-use it. If you don't have any tips, clip a small hole in the corner of a bag and free form them. 
  4. Use a small paint brush and add three thin lines of icing coloring gel to the inside of the icing bag. Technique here. Fill with dough. 
  5. Pipe 1 1/4" cookies onto to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Try to keep them small and bite size.
  6. Bake at 250 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until set and dry. I found this too hot for my oven and I'd use 200 degrees for an hour or so (which is what Martha suggests) the next time.
  7. Turn oven off and leave the door closed, remove cookies after one hour.
  8. Cool and store in an air tight container. Makes approximately 5 dozen.
Notes:
  • Do not make these on a humid day! By the time I got to filling the second piping bag my dough had deflated a bit, then add the heat from my hands... 
  • *While these are very tasty, I've never seen a meringue recipe that called for this much extract before. For the sake of making a tighter batter and more defined cookie I'd cut back next time. Most recipes call for 1/2 tsp, I'd try 3/4 tsp at the most.
  • If you use brown vanilla don't panic as I did when you first add it to the egg whites, the mixture will get whiter as it inflates.
  • Use a very thin paint brush for the food coloring gel, I think the green stripes are perfect. If you want bright vivid cookies, once the first bag is empty, use a new bag and repaint the lines. I used 12" Wilton Disposable Icing Bags and this recipe will fill two bags.
  • While they don't puff up much they do expand a bit, so leave a good inch of space around each one.
  • Work quickly, it just makes them prettier and talk about a thrifty gift... 3 egg whites and 3/4 C sugar!

35 comments:

  1. I love everything you make! What a fun treat! I love that you spruced plain old meringues for halloween!!! Very cute!

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  2. Those really look yummy. My aunt was the one in our family who used t make the most wonderful merigngues.

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  3. How fun for Halloween, and I do think green is a great Halloween color! Joni

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  4. I've never tried meringue! Love the technique!

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  5. How yummy! Wonderful and lights, too.

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  6. Pretty! You are having way too much fun....I can't seem to find a minute, lately....

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  7. They look great, Lynn. They are really pretty too.

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  8. Another fabulous idea! I can see all sorts of different color combos for all the holidays...so fun!

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  9. Lynn, I'm definitely making these! I'm a fan of meringue in any form. ;-) Clever idea. Thanks for sharing........Sarah

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  10. What a great idea! And the colors are so fun :)

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  11. One darn cute idea. Loved your pie from last week and I have featured it at this weeks party. Please feel free to grab my starfish featured button for your blog (it's under my header).

    Blessings,
    linda

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  12. Oh my gosh your meringues came out BEAUTIFULLY!!!! I tried making these too after seeing them in Martha Stewart Living, but not too successfully. Yours are just beautiful!!! Great job!!!!

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  13. Thanks for sharing these at ON THE MENU MONDAY!

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  14. Lynn,
    These could be done for Christmas too. Very pretty I think. Thank you for sharing.
    Pat

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  15. What can I say? they're gorgeously perfect!!!
    Mary x

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  16. looks yummy! And i love the swirl!

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  17. Looks very yummy!! Will try these. Thanks.

    Judy

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  18. Are those not the cutest meringues?!?! You are one talented cook in the kitchen. Have a great week, Lynn.

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  19. So fun Lynn! I love the festive swirls of color :)

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  20. Such pretty cookies!

    Katie @ Horrific Knits

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  21. They turned out great! Love the fall colors :)

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  22. I LOVE your recipe! Please come over and party with me at Cast Party Wednesday!
    Thanks! ~Sheryl~
    http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/cast-party-wednesday-link-party-61/

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  23. Hey from tessacotton! Love your creation, they look super delicious. I would be so thrilled if you would link up to my new, halloween themed linky party, live today!
    http://tessacotton.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-link-party.html

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  24. I've been thinking of making vanilla meringues. They sound delicious!! I love your swirls, too. I'm hosting a Fall Food Link Party today, I'd love to see you there! (at JensFavoriteCookies.com)

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  25. These look wonderful. So festive!! I would love for you to share them at my linky party Tasty Thursdays going on right now. Thanks, Nichi

    http://mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/2012/10/tasty-thursdays-11.html

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  26. CONGRATULATIONS!!!Your recipe has been chosen to be on Today's Feature Post from Cast Party Wednesday! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us! ~Sheryl~ http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/todays-feature-post-cast-party-61-2/

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  27. Hi Lynn,
    What a special treat for our fall parties, these are really precious and look delicious. Enjoy your weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  28. We don't celebrate Halloween, but these swirls would be a great hit at any party.
    They look super beautiful !!

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  29. Thank you so much for linking up to Tasty Thursdays at The Mandatory Mooch. I loved this so much that it will be FEATURED this week. The party will be live tonight. So, come see your feature and link up again. Thanks, Nichi www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com

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