Mini Peppermint Meringues

Until he tried these light and tasty bites, my 
husband thought that he didn't like meringues.

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
red gel or paste food coloring

You can choose different food colors for a variety of holidays and sporting events:
red & white ~ Valentines Day & Christmas
green & white ~ Saint Patrick's Day
red, blue & white ~ 4th Of July 
yellow & black ~ Pittsburgh Steelers (My husband's favorite team.) 

Method:
Preheat oven to 240*. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Set the bowl over, but not in, a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are very warm to the touch. (Approximately 3 - 5 minutes.)
Remove from heat. Use an electric mixer, beat on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to high, until soft, glossy peaks form. (Approximately 5 - 7 minutes.) Beat in the peppermint extract.
Transfer 1 tablespoon of the meringue to a small bowl and tint with red coloring. Use a paintbrush or wooden skewer and the tinted meringue to paint 3 vertical lines in a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4 inch star tip.
Carefully spoon the white meringue into the bag, while being careful not to smear the red meringue.

Pipe 1 inch stars onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until the meringues are just set on the outside. (Approximately 20 - 30 minutes.) Slide the parchment with cooked meringues onto wire racks to cool completely. Use a spatula or knife to remove the cooled meringues from the parchment paper.

Mini Meringues packaged for gift giving.

Notes:
"Grandma Winifred's English Chess Tarts" recipe is a good way to use the leftover egg yolks.

I used both blue and red coloring to make Patriotic Meringues for my cousin, Brenda, to celebrate her new United States Citizenship. I hope you will have fun using different colors and different flavors of extracts, too.

Cousin Brenda became an American Citizen in December of 2015.
 (She moved here, from Canada, when she was 15 years old.)