Normally meringues are made by beating egg whites until soft peaks form and then very gradually add castor sugar [...]]]>

I wanted to post a recipe again for quite some time now. When I found these cute meringue animals in the local bakery today, I knew I just had to share my meringue recipe with you.

Normally meringues are made by beating egg whites until soft peaks form and then very gradually add castor sugar to it whilst beating until stiff peaks form.  My recipe differs a little from this method.

You can make about 180 small meringues with the following recipe – I have succesfully halved the ingredients many times.

You will need:

8 extra-large egg-whites, at room temperature
4 x 250 ml (4 cups) castor sugar
50 ml boiling water
50 ml white vinegar
20 ml (4 teaspoons) vanilla essence
food colouring

Method:

Add all the ingredients, in the order given, to a large mixing bowl. Beat for 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer set to high speed until the mixture becomes very stiff and glossy.  (I normally turn the bowl upside down to check the consistency, if the mixture stays in the bowl, I know I  can stop… LOL)

Fit nozzle of choice to a piping bag, fill the bag with meringue mixture, pipe shapes on to a foil-lined baking tray. Bake at 100 degrees C for three to four hours. Leave in a switched-off oven to dry out and cool. Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To colour the meringue mixture, divide it into smaller bowls.  Add a drop or two of food colouring to each bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork.  If the mixture is too light, keep adding food colouring drop by drop until the desired colour is reached.

When making the meringue animals, start with the body first, colour a small amount of the mixture a deeper colour for things like ears, noses, etc. Use a toothpick dipped into food colouring to draw mouths onto the bodies, return to over for a few minutes to set.

Idea: You can take a closer look at the details of the animals in the photo by clicking on it to open in a new window.

Tip: Meringue can also be used to make “magic” wands for a princess or fairy theme party.

Here are some more helpful tips

• Choose a dry, not humid, day to make meringue. Meringue has a high sugar content which may cause it to absorb moisture from the air. This will make the meringue limp and sticky.
• Use a glass or metal bowl to beat the eggs; plastic bowls can have a greasy film which can prevent foaming.
• Separate the eggs carefully while still cold. Be sure no yolk slips in with the white. The fat in the yolk can interfere with the formation of the foam.
• Let the whites stand at room temperature for about half an hour after separating. They will beat to a greater volume than if beaten when cold.
• Check to be sure sugar is dissolved by rubbing a little of the beaten meringue between your thumb and forefinger. If it feels a little gritty, beat a little longer.

Have fun planning your kid’s theme party