Vanilla-Peppermint Meringues

We recently (finally!) acquired a stand mixer and one of the first things to cross my mind was meringue! I did sometimes make it by hand for the express purpose of Swiss meringue buttercream (the ultimate frosting in my opinion). But it is rather tiring on the arm, and when I'd employ the help of my immersion blender with the whisk attachment I'd end up with meringue strewn across my kitchen. I love my immersion blender, but whipping is definitely not its true purpose.

However, meringue cannot daunt me any longer! To celebrate here is a recipe for some beautiful, wintry little treats. I love mint and I think having it as a complement to the vanilla makes it a bit more refined here, instead of an ultra-mentholated toothpaste experience. So worry not if you're not a huge mint fan, these are not not overly minty, rather the peppermint is smoothed out by the vanilla. These go tremendously with cocoa and would look so cute on a little "cocoa snack board" alongside candy canes, marshmallows, and cookies.

I prefer my meringue soft and marshmallow-y on the inside, but if you prefer them crisper you can bake for a few minutes longer. Just watch them so they don't end up toasting! As for forming the meringues you may scoop with a spoon and scrape with another to form a little dollop, or pipe them. I prefer piping as I like to make them into little swirly snow piles. But have fun with it

This recipe will make about 20-30 meringues depending on the size.

Ingredients:

6 egg whites (about 175g) at room temperature

1.5 cups (300g) granulated sugar

2 tbsp (15g) cornflour (cornstarch)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 250F (120C) and prepare baking sheets with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cornflour.

2. In either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer mix the cream of tartar and egg whites, starting on low and slowly increasing to medium speed over about 3-4 minutes.

3. Increase to medium-high speed, slowly adding in the sugar-cornflour mixture. After the sugar is all incorporated add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and increase speed again slightly. Mix until the meringue is glossy and you are able to make stiff peaks.

4. Pipe or scoop (see description for notes) meringues onto the prepared sheets, they shoot be about the size of a golf ball. Reduce heat to 230F (110C) and slip the sheets into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.

5. At 25 minutes rotate flip the sheets positions in the oven and rotate the sheets so meringues cook evenly. If your meringues appear to be cracking or taking on colour reduce temperature of oven to 200F (95C). Continue baking for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and gently lift meringues off and onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool (it won't take them long!) store in an airtight container. They will keep for about a week.