What are you up to on this fine Sunday?

Holiday shopping?  Holiday partying?  Trying to find a pair of pantyhose without a run in them?  Yea… me too.

I thought I’d pop in and remind you of these little peppermint gems.  They’re light.  They’re beautiful and festive.  You can put them in the oven and just about forget about them while they bake…. and yes, they look a little bit like Colgate toothpaste.  

Peppermint Meringues.  Because you can.  Because you should.

Dear Spring,

You’re a great season.  In fact, you’re my favorite season of all.  Something about the orange blossoms dotting my neighborhood, and the barely warm evening sun just makes me want to squeeze you with gratitude.

Great job with all the tulips.  Excellent work with all the sweet peas.  Don’t even get me started on the asparagus…. wow!

There’s just a few things I thought you might consider… just in the interest of being the best season ever, and kicking every other season right in the backside.

First, your color palette.  Have you ever considered switching it up?  All the pastels remind me of bad baby shower party games.  Plus, you’re edgier than that Spring.  Show those other seasons what’s what.  Have you considered a fresh neon palate?  It might work wonders for your image.

Second,  can you please work on making purple the new grey this season?

Lastly,  every year when you come to town, I end up in the candy aisle at the grocery store buying giant bags of chocolate egg-shaped candies.  After I’ve mistakenly make these chocolate goodies a meal, I’m forced the throw the remainder in the trash and pour dish soap on them, keeping myself from sleep-eating them in the middle of the night.  While this may seem like more of a personal issue, your attention to this matter would still be much appreciated.

Also Spring, I made you meringues.

Stay Sweet,

Joy the Baker

Meringues are a super easy way to show Spring that you’re glad it’s come to town… or you could write Spring a letter like I did.

With only three egg whites, a bit of granulated sugar and some flavoring, you’ll be able to make a sheet full of three different types of tiny meringues:  chocolate, vanilla and raspberry. All you’ll need now is some small, clear gift bags, some pretty ribbon and you’ll have precious Easter gifts on lock-down.  Sweet, right!?

This recipe makes vanilla meringues with a dash of vanilla extract, chocolate meringues with unsweetened cocoa powder, and raspberry meringues with dehydrated raspberry powder (made from freeze dried and super ground raspberries).  Feel free to play around with almond or coffee meringues using extracts too!

Spring Easter Meringues

Print this recipe!

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dehydrated raspberry powder

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; secure corners with masking tape. Fit three pastry bags with a small open-star tip or round tips (such as Ateco #22).  If you don’t have three pastry bags you can use just one bag and wash and dry it between flavors.   Set aside.
2. Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
4. Divide egg whites between three clean bowls.  In one bowl mix in vanilla extract.  In second bowl, mix in cocoa powder.  In third bowl mix in raspberry powder.  Stir all until well combined.
5. Fill each bag with separate meringue flavors. Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes or round shapes (depending on your tip) onto prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes.  Turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven.  Transfer from pans to an airtight container for storage.

There are some things in the world that make me feel like an adult. Most of the time my brain likes to idle in the fact that I’m somewhere between ten and twelve years old. When I thought I was pretty cool. When I thought I had a pretty good handle on things. Before the painfully awkward Blossom hats and frizzy hair set in.

Something has happened though. Time I suppose. I’ve turned around and been hit square in the face with what feels like adult things.

Um… retirement plan? Yea… I have one. It’s totally weird.

Going to the airport by myself? Um… hello!? I need an adult to carry my boarding pass and my ID and to make sure I have matching socks on! Oh… I am the adult. Seriously?

Shoe shopping. No one is there to pinch the edge of my shoe and make sure I have enough toe room. How am I supposed to know if they fit!? I can’t very well pinch my own shoes!

And then there are things that show me that maybe I’m not so adult after all.

My Mom still nags me to write holiday and birthday thank you notes.

I love hot chocolate with marshmallows. I mean seriously. Come on! That’s some good stuff.

And these Peppermint Meringues remind me of the soft after dinner mints that I used to horde from my favorite Italian restaurant growing up. Do you know the mints I’m talking about? The somewhat chalky, melt in your mouth, white mints? I’m still a sucker for those things. I may have eaten them for dinner a few weeks back. Don’t judge me.

These Peppermint Meringues have just enough bite, just enough give, just enough sweetness and just enough mint to remind me of those gorgeous mints of my childhood. In turn, that minty feeling works to negate the blinding reality of being an adult with a retirement plan, because that just makes me feel like a big weirdo. No offense to those who have, or want, weirdo retirement plans. I mean no harm.

Oh! I’ve been on a cookie kick lately. I made some deliciously buttery Cherry Jam Cookies too!

Peppermint Meringues

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Print this recipe!

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• Red gel-paste food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; secure corners with masking tape. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22). Set aside.
2. Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
4. Using a new small paintbrush, paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time.
5. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

I’ve decided to have a very quiet and still weekend.

Today- more pictures than words.

I hope you all find a piece of peace this weekend.

These unassuming, simple and delicious meringues might be just your ticket to bliss.

Memaw’s Meringue Shells

Panache at Rose Hill

Print this recipe!

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

Beat whites until stiff; add other ingredients and beat until shiny and very stiff.  Draw circles on paper sacks and spread with a spoon or pipe with pastry tube within the confines of circles (I did my meringues free hand).  Bake in 225 degree oven until lightly browned, about 45 minutes.  Turn oven off, leaving the shells in the oven to completely cool.  May be cooked before hand and stored in an airtight container until ready to use.  Serve with fresh sliced strawberries and kiwis, or any fruit or berries you see fit.

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