Meringue Kisses

I made chocolate and vanilla meringue kisses last night. I separated some egg whites earlier in the afternoon, intending to start aging them to bake some French macarons. Instead I got the urge to make these meringue kisses right away.

I used this recipe from Not So Humble Pie, adapting it slightly to make half the batch chocolate and half vanilla. After whipping my meringue to stiff peaks in my stand mixer, I separated half the mixture into another bowl. To that bowl, I sifted 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and gently folded it in until no streaks were left. In the mixer bowl, I added a wee bit of pink food coloring and whisked it in until the color was even. I piped the meringue kisses using piping bags and two different tips. These adorable, quarter-sized kisses were in the oven for a little over 2 hours at 175 degrees, until they no longer stuck to the parchment.

I'm not sure why, but my chocolate meringue kisses turned sticky once cool though my vanilla meringues dried out perfectly. At any rate, texture aside, the hubby and I both decided that we preferred the delicate, barely there flavor of the vanilla meringue kisses.

These are so simply to make and are really sinless as far as dessert go. These fat free sugary clouds are cute and delicious, and I'm sure I'll be making them more often. I can't wait to experiment with all the pastel colors and darling shapes these little meringue kisses can be.