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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Kelly
I love how the meringues look but it’s bittersweet for me to see anything so cheery and “Spring-y” with the 3 – 4 inches of snow that we got last night in Indiana :( I’m going to skadoo (a reference to Blue’s Clues) to your kitchen, be right there!
Muneeba
I think Spring will appreciate the kind words and the constructive criticism ;) Meringues look perfect. My hubbs is always asking “when are you gonna make meringues for me??”, and I’m saying, “when I get a stand mixer!” … which I’m saving up for now. Soon, my lovely, soooooooon.
Kim
These are so adorable and I love the natural colors! I’ve been wanting to make meringues. I even have some fresh passionfruit. Do you have any other ideas for passionfruit? If you do, let me know- kimtracy75@hotmail.com. Great post!
Jenny
I’d never have thought of raspberry flavoured meringues, they look and sound delicious! Now I just need to find some freeze-dried raspberry powder in Scotland…
Psychgrad
So adorable. I’m impressed with how many meringues you can make out of 3 egg whites. I’ll have to do some looking around for this raspberry powder.
carolyn
dear joy,
you’re photos are so pretty! and you are too funny. can i be you? you know.. just for a day or two. let me know. thanks.
carolyn
Kate
Those almost look too nice to eat! Beautiful!
Jill in Atlanta
…pour dish soap on them…. I’ll remember this trick (you know, just in case)
Aren’t meringues really sensitive to humidity? I’ve never had the courage to make them.
Dani
how precious joy…. and i laughed out loud reading your letter… so creative :)
martina
Great idea to write to Spring… I have to do it, too! I’ll asky her (Spring is a female, right?) to come soon and stay a while here in Ireland…I think she thought to stay (some sunny days) but then she decided to move somewhere else and we have cold and wind, again!! The meringues look great and everyone’ll appreciate them very much for sure! Martina
Maja
pretty :))))
Stacy
These look SO good.. i’m still obsessed with the peppermint meringues from a while back. do you know anywhere to get raspberry powder in smaller quantities? I’m in seattle and don’t know where to look!
and as always, i’m loving your pictures!
Corrie
Wow! Those are beautiful! I need to try making them sometime…my roommate loves them.
unconfidentialcook
So beautiful! I wish I could make meringues, but my house is too humid and they just de-tumesce. When my daughter was little I tried to make Caspar (ghost) cookies with her…to no avail.
morgan
those are precious! i love making meringues and i am always searching for new recipe ideas. i cant wait to try the raspberry.