Sparkling Kisses

Bonnie G #2's Note:

My Mother is a diabetic with a severe sweet tooth so I'm always looking for something that is not quite so bad for her while satisfying that sweet craving she has. Found this on the King Arthur Flour Website and decided to give it a try. It states "when you find yourself with extra egg whites left over from a recipe calling for yolks, don't throw them away: make meringues, those light-as-air, nonfat cookies that go together in a flash, then crisp up ever so gradually in a slow oven. I did change the granulated sugar for baking Splenda (in order to lower the sugar count) and found they where a little to sweet for my taste but think they'll be perfect when I reduce it to about 1/3 cup. I only had gold and silver sugar crystals and think they'd be much prettier with brighter colors so I'll buy those for the next time. Maybe you'll enjoy them too.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 30

Yield: 30.0 meringues

• 4 large egg whites
• 1⁄8; teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8; teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or extract of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon sugar crystals (enough to shake on top)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two large baking sheets.
2. In large bowl, beat egg whites till foamy, then add salt and cream of tartar.
3. Add sugar gradually, continuing to beat, until meringue is thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks.
4. Stir in vanilla or other flavoring at the end.
5. Drop meringue by tablespoonfuls (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here - I actually used a pastry dispenser with the star attachment) onto prepared baking sheets.
6. Sprinkle each with sparkling sugar crystals.
7. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the kisses cool in the unopened oven (don't peek!) for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (1 1/2 to 2 hours for meringues that are chewy in the center, rather than crisp all the way through).