Peppermint Meringue Swirls

Today is officially the last day of November, Thanksgiving is behind us, so let Christmas begin! Personally, I’ve already brought up all of the Christmas decorations from the basement and set up the tree, despite my husband’s protests that it’s still too early (today’s the first day of advent, so even by Norwegian standards, I’m allowed!). And of course I couldn’t let another holiday come and go without throwing in some holiday-themed meringues! With just a hint of mint and a festive swirl of color, these meringues are the perfect treat to kick off your Christmas festivities!

Peppermint Meringue Swirls
Makes about 40 one inch meringues

What you’ll need:
4 egg white
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. peppermint extract
Red and green food gel coloring

I feel like I should preface this recipe with the fact that it is SUPER easy to make (and I mean like super supereasy), but it will take about 4-6 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 peppermint extract right before it reaches stiff peaks).

Evenly divide your meringue between two bowls. Gently fold your red food coloring into one, and leave the other white.

To assemble your piping bag, lay out a piece of cling wrap. Using a toothpick, run a thin line of green food coloring down the center. Cover the green food coloring with half of your white meringue. Spoon your red meringue onto either side of the white, and up the sides until it just reaches the top and slightly overlaps. Spoon the other half of the white meringue on top, and run another thin line of green food coloring down the center.

Gently fold each side of your cling wrap up and over the meringue, twisting the ends. Drop the whole thing into your piping back, and pipe your meringues out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (I used a star tip).

Bake your meringues for 4-6 hours at 200*F (95*C), or until the meringues can easily be peeled away from the parchment paper.

Happy baking!

Recipe adapted from Miette