Meringue Roses

Have I mentioned that I make meringues for every season and every occasion? I have? Oh, only every time I make them… Well… I have yet to find something that is so quick and easy, yet so versatile as the meringue. You can literally take the exact same recipe and turn it into a million different things with just a little food coloring and a frosting tip. Seriously guys, it is that easy! So with spring in full swing and Easter right around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to pull out the ol’ meringue recipe and whip up something new!

Meringue Roses
Makes about 40 meringues

For the meringues:
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. extract (I used raspberry)

Other supplies you’ll need:
Piping bags
Food gel colors
A Wilton #104 tip
Plastic wrap
Parchment paper, cut into approximately 2″ x 2″ squares (you don’t need to be exact)
Double sided tape
A meat thermometer/icing nail

I feel like I should preface this recipe with the fact that it is SUPER easy to make (and I mean like super, super easy), but it will take about 3-5 hours of baking at a very low temperature. So although it’s the perfect easy dessert to whip up the day before, it’s not great if you need something in an hour. To make the meringues, whisk your egg whites and granulated sugar together in a bowl over a pot of boiling water until the sugar dissolves. You can test this by sticking a finger in and seeing if you can still feel granules. Once all of the granules have dissolved, remove your bowl from the pot of boiling water and beat it on high until stiff peaks form (you’ll want to add your extract right before it reaches stiff peaks).

Divide your meringue into separate bowls and begin tinting it by folding in your food gel coloring. Spoon each color onto a separate piece of plastic wrap, and gently roll it up, twisting the ends. Assemble your piping bag with your #104 tip, clip one of the ends of your first color of meringues, and drop it in the bag. Run a piece of double sided tape across the top of your meat thermometer/icing nail, and attach your first square of parchment paper. With the wide end of the tip down, pipe the base of the rose by rotating the nail/thermometer until you come back to where you started (with just a little overlap). Begin piping petals by continuing to turn your nail/thermometer as you pipe small pieces of meringue. As you go, you’ll want to start angling the top of your tip out to create more open petals.

Place the flowers onto a baking sheet, and bake at 200*F (95*C) for 3-5 hours, or until the meringues can easily be peeled away from the parchment paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.

Recipe adapted from Miette