Meringue Kisses
Light as air, kissed with sweetness, these Meringue Kisses From Scratch are the perfect cookie to make for your Valentine!
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of shredded coconut - without sugar OPTIONAL
Separate egg whites from yolks about an hour before making meringues. Leave whites in bowl at room temperature so that they beat up to a good volume.
Heat oven to 250° and cover un-greased cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat egg whites with a blender until stiff enough to stand in moist (not dry) peaks. Slowly beat in sugar just a tablespoon at a time then fold in vanilla. Continue to beat mixture until it is still and glossy, not grainy. Fold in coconut.
In a small bowl, squirt a little bit of food coloring of choice and with a small pastry brush, 'paint' colored stripes along pastry bag. Pipe small rounds onto cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 30-35 minutes. Peaks will brown slightly.
(If you don't have food coloring or a pastry bag, meringues can be spooned onto cookie sheet in little mounds instead).
Cool and enjoy!