Mint Meringues
(a.k.a. Peppermint Kisses)
Full Disclosure...During all of this time at home as we are still “sheltering in place” in the Bay Area, I have been baking...A LOT. One of my favorite books right now is Pastry Love by Joanne Chang. For anyone who loves sweet things (and I don’t mean cloyingly sweet as that really isn’t her style)...check it out.
A favorite thing to make from her book is her Peppermint Kisses recipe. These are peppermint flavored tiny meringues that are striped and shaped like Hershey’s Kisses. I don’t say a “hint” of peppermint because these aren’t...they are full and in-your-face bold peppermint flavor. Delicious! And... the recipe makes about 10 dozen kisses...so have lots of cookie sheets ready. These are perfect for take-away gifts (I made these for my son’s class for Valentine’s Day and then again this week for the Christmas and Holiday Season). They really are easier than they look and quite fun to make.
The “How To” Details:
8 large egg whites (about 1 cup/240 grams) at room temperature (**I used them cold...worked fine)
1 cup (200 grams) superfine sugar (you may find this in the store as “Baker’s Sugar)
1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring gel (yes, GEL. This won’t work with the liquid).
Preheat the oven to 175℉ and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. (**Natasha’s Note: Don’t use silpat mats here. The meringues bake to more of a crisp and don’t stick at all with the parchment. I tried to cheat with the silpats and learned my lesson for this recipe.)
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Whip until the wires of the whisk leave a slight trail in the whites. Test for soft peak stage by stopping the mixer and lifting up the whisk...the whites should peak and then droop.
With the mixer on medium, add the superfine sugar in three increments, whipping for about 1 minute between additions. (Natasha’s Note: I have started keeping superfine sugar as the only white granulated sugar in my house as I don’t want to store 2 types - San Francisco space issues you know. Who cares if the sugar for my coffee is a superfine...but it really makes a difference in baking.)
Meanwhile, sift the confectioners’ sugar and salt together and set aside. Once you’ve beaten all the superfine sugar into the egg whites, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, add the peppermint extract, and beat for about 15 seconds more. Fold in the confectioners’ sugar and salt.
Fit an 18” pastry bag with a ¾ inch round tip. Fold back the edges of the pastry bag over your hand so you can reach in easily to the bottom of the bag. Dip a chopstick or wooden skewer into the red coloring gel and paint 4 large stripes starting as close to the tip as you can and up the side of the pastry bag. Fill the bag halfway with the meringue and pipe kisses about 1 inch wide and 1 inch tall (like a Hershey’s Kiss) onto the prepared baking sheets. (Natasha’s Note: Your gel will run out at some point, so don’t overfill the pastry bag. You will need to repaint the stripes at least 3 times to keep the red stripes and you need the pastry bag to be empty to do that. Yes, you will be painting new stripes in a messy bag...but it will still work).
Bake the kisses for about 4 hours, rotating the baking sheet a few times, until the kisses are completely dried out inside and out (break a few open to check). Turn off the oven but leave the kisses in the oven to dry out overnight.
These can be stored in an airtight container (if it isn’t super humid) for up to a month...so easy to plan ahead).
