Masha in the Kitchen: Meringues

Hello lovely readers! 

I decided to do something a bit out of the ordinary and post about something I have been baking for years: meringues. Whenever I come home from college I love to spend time in the kitchen since that isn't exactly possible in my residence hall. My entire family loves these sweet, fluffy treats so I decided to share this recipe with you all. 

Ingredients:

- 3 egg whites

- Pinch of salt

- 1 cup of sugar 

- 2-3 drops of vanilla extract 

You can also add various ingredients such as nuts, chocolate, and peanuts butter. For this batch, I have added cocoa powder and pecans. 

The process: 

1. Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs and put away the yolks for the nice omelet or créme brulée  you'll have at a later date. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites. 

2. Beat the egg whites and salt. You'll know when to stop if you are able to flip the bowl without any of the mixture pouring out. Be careful doing this or you'll have an eggy mess on the counter/floor. 

3. Add the cup of sugar to the mixture, continuously mixing with the electric hand mixer. It is important to add the sugar slowly to insure that the air bubbles remain in the egg whites. This is what makes the meringues airy and light. 

4. Add the vanilla extract and other ingredients. Carefully mix this together. 

5. Preheat the oven to 270°F and while the oven is getting warmer, spoon the substance onto baking trays that are lined with baking paper. 

6. It's going to take anywhere from a 45 minutes to 1.5 hours till the meringues are ready. You should be able to easily remove them from the sheet when they are done. 

Let me know if you want more posts like these! 

-M-