Peppermint meringues

These are intensely minty, with a chewy middle that is somehow also reminiscent of the nostalgic sticky sweetness of a candy cane. The merry and kitsch swirls of bright red through the snowy peaks are optional – you can also make pristine white versions. Good for dessert, as a gift or for bake sales.

Peppermint meringues. Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing / Skye McAlpine

• makes

  10-12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Oil or butter, for the trays
• 6 egg whites
• ⅓ tsp cream of tartar
• 300 g caster sugar
• ¾ tsp peppermint extract
• 3-4 drops red food colouring gel

Cooling time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 140˚C (120˚C fan-forced / Gas 1). Grease and line 2 baking trays.
2. Pour the egg whites and cream of tartar into a large, clean mixing bowl. The bowl must be immaculate, as even a spot of grease will stop the whites from peaking. Using electric beaters, beat on a medium-low speed until the whites begin to froth, then add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking all the while, until the mix becomes stiff and glossy. Now, add the peppermint extract and whisk it in.
3. Gently fold in the red food colouring, creating swirls. Use 2 spoons to dollop the mixture on to the prepared trays, leaving a few centimetres between each and twirling the spoon round with each dollop to finish the meringue off with a spiky peak.
4. Set in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Switch the oven off and leave the meringues in there (without opening the door) for a further hour, to cool completely. Once baked, the meringues will keep happily for 2–3 weeks.

Notes

• I love how festive these look. If, however, you would prefer something a little more subtle (or would rather not use food colouring), then bake the meringues as is, pristine, virginal white, then finely chop a couple of candy canes and sprinkle the shards, like shimmering gems, over them before serving, for a more elegant take on a childhood holiday favourite. If you really wanted to gild the lily, you might also want to consider brushing each meringue with a little gold leaf, by dabbing on a small amount of edible glue and then gently sticking a sheet of gold leaf to it. Just one or two patches of gold on each is more than enough to add a little extravagant shimmer.
• This is an especially good recipe for bake sales, because though they take a while in the oven, they’re quick and simple to make, with only one mixing bowl to wash up, and come innately individually portioned. You can also make them to whatever size you prefer: from tiny, bite-sized meringues to the extravagantly blowsy ones that you see here and which I love most. Equally, don’t feel that you need a bake sale as an excuse to make these: a tin of striped pepperminty meringues is a lovely gift (and indeed they will keep for a couple of weeks in a sealed tin). Or I will pile them high on a cake stand and serve as is for pudding after dinner, perhaps with a bowl of whipped cream or crème fraîche on the side.

This is an edited extract from The Christmas Companion by Skye McAlpine (Bloomsbury Publishing, $55.00).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.