Peppermint Meringues
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
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- Red gel-paste food coloring
- 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.
- 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.
- Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
- 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.
- Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
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These are beautiful! You are incredibly patient to do these.
Awesome! I was going to make merangues for our big family potluck on Christmas eve and just decorate them with red and green sprinkles but this is much cuter! Thanks for the idea and happy holidays!
Yum, yum, yum! These are the prettiest holiday cookies I have seen thus far.
Gorgeous! Question: how to store meringues? Plastic bag? Cookie jar? Refrigerator?
Yay! I remember these from last year! They were a hit amongst my friends, but I just haven’t found the time to get to them yet this week.
I failed you, Joy! My meringue mix wouldn’t form nice peaks and such, I’ve read since that it’s probably because my mixing bowl is plastic and that can hold grease, even when obsessively cleeeean. Any advice on what can be done in the event of fail mixture? Like, anything that can be done with the resulting pretty white soup?
See, I need a grown-up too! :D <3
The peppermint essence can deflate the meringue mixture if it contains peppermint oil, because oil/fat/grease doesn’t work with meringue. But despite that, I was determined to make it work, so I made my meringue as usual then very gently folded the peppermint essence through, and the meringue didn’t deflate too badly. :)
I think we may have been switched at birth. I love those mints too and I don’t like having a retirement plan! We’ll thank our younger selves in 20 years though I suppose! Can’t wait to make these and eat them with a hot chocolate!
Yep. I remember those mints. I always swiped huge handfuls of the licorice and shoved them in my pockets. Nice.
I keep trying to make these and mine never form the peaks. Is it because I’m using liquid egg whites?
you always use gel paste food colouring, how ’bout just the regular liquid stuff?
I have three children, have owned three houses, been a landlord on two of them, have multiple retirement accounts and life insurance policies, and a will.
I still feel like a kid disguised as an adult.
And when my children aren’t looking, I too hoard restaurant mints. I prefer the chocolatey ones, though.
These are so gorgeous!!!
Great recipe. I made these and they also turned out beautifully. @sayna, You need to use a paste or gel food coloring, because a liquid color won’t stick to the plastic pastry cone.