This is a light, airy, fat-free dessert that is easy to whip up and only has a few ingredients. A faster way to make this is to beat the eggs until they are foamy, then slowly add in the sugar while whisking until it has formed stiff peaks. That is called a french meringue.  I prefer the swiss meringue because it whips up faster and it has a more stable texture when it comes out of the oven. Meringue has so many different possibilities of flavors. You can use any flavorings, concentrated fruit sauces, or chopped nuts to customize your meringue. Make sure to add it after you whip up the egg whites.

Just to note, this makes a ton of meringue. Unless you are cooking for a party or just have a lot of extra egg whites, I suggest that you reduce this recipe. Just follow the general ratio of 1 egg white to 1/4 cup of sugar. If you would like to make vegan meringue that you can substitute each egg white for 1/4 cup of liquid from canned beans. Use chickpeas or pinto beans from a can and separate the water from the beans.

6 egg whites

1 1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar

1/8 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla or any other flavoring that you like

1. Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees. The reason that the temperature is so low is because meringue should be dried out rather than actually baking. Beat the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until you can feel that the mixture has no more grittiness.
2. Take the meringue off the heat and start beating it with a whisk or an electric mixer. Whip it for about 3  minutes or until it has reached the ribbon stage. It should be very thick and create solid “ribbons” when dropped from a spoon.
3. Add the salt in at this point. Continue to whisk until the meringue forms very stiff and glossy peaks. Add the flavoring of your choice in at this point. I separated the meringue in two and mixed half with 1/2 Tablespoon of Vanilla and 1/4 Teaspoon of peppermint extract to the other half.
4. Pipe or spoon the batter onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for about an hour to an hour and a half. If you want your meringues to be crisp and dry all the way through, then pipe small cookies and bake for a longer time. If you want it to be slightly chewy, then pipe large cookies and bake for less time. Either way, you need to bake them at least until the bottoms don’t stick to the baking sheet.