splendid splenda meringues

jamb's Note:

These little devils are so good without all the guilt of sugar. I make all different flavors and mix food coloring in for a fun and easy change.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 13 extra l ...

• 2 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1⁄8; teaspoon salt
• ½ cup Splenda sugar substitute
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet; set aside.
3. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a very clean bowl.
4. Beat until foamy.
5. Add splenda a little at a time until egg whites are stiff and glossy.
6. Fold in vanilla.
7. Spoon meringue on cookie sheet.
8. Bake 18-20 minutes.
9. Variations: Fold in 1-2 tbsp of cocoa with vanilla.
10. Add different extracts instead/along with vanilla.
11. Add food coloring with extracts (i.e swirl red coloring with peppermint extract.)

Reviews

[Chef #1556911]

I have also been going through a meringue phase, and I use my great aunt's tried and true technique...preheat oven to 350, put meringues in and then turn off oven and let sit undisturbed for 5 hours. Makes the outside of them glossy and crunchy. Also, I use 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemonjuice instead of cream of tartar and it works very well.

[Asystole]

I'd never made meringues before, but I managed to get these to come out really well! I used a bit of orange zest and orange juice (the acid of which probably helped stabilize the meringues as well, like lemon juice is often used to) to try to get an orange flavor on them (really just because there was an orange on my counter that needed eaten, LOL). The flavor wasn't too strong though it smelled terrific--mostly was a marshmallow-ish plain flavor. Ditto for when I used a small amount of cocoa powder--you'll need a significant amount of flavoring to overpower the Splenda, I think. Still, no problems with beating it up or them staying fluffy in the oven. Some of mine cracked a bit, but that's mostly an aesthetic issue and not one that concerned me. Very pleased with this recipe--it's very good for low-carbers, as it's essentially pure protein but in a dessert form!

[Chef Linda Kay]

Try eliminating the cream of tartar and adding a teaspoon of lemon juice. Linda Kay