After the cakes, came the meringues!  As I brainstormed quick + easy dessert ideas for the party, meringues were at the top of my list.  They require few ingredients and, aside from bake time, they are fairly quick to whip up.  So, while Atlas took his morning nap, I was able to prep and pipe a batch of meringues bound for the oven.

The challenge in this sweet treat was figuring out how to make whipped egg whites and sugar exciting and eye-catching enough for a dessert table.  In my research for the perfect recipe I came across Sugar Art; a company specializing in meringue transfer sheets.   Though I didn’t end up using any of their transfer prints [just yet], I did find a fun shaped piping tip and the perfect meringue recipe on the site.

[Open “Sultane” Piping Nozzle 796]

S W I S S  M E R I N G U E | from Sugar Art

• 4 egg whites [approx. 120g]
• 1 1/4c sugar
• 1/2c icing sugar

Mix sugar + egg whites in bowl of mixer
Place bowl with mixture on a bain-marie for about 5-8mins | mix every few mins until mix becomes liquid and you can no longer feel the sugar grains
Attach bowl to mixer with whisk attachment and whisk for about 5mins | stiff peaks
[add food colour + flavouring if desired]
Stop mixer, add powder sugar and slowly resume mixing for approx 2mins until mixture becomes stable with stiff white peaks
Transfer mixture to piping bag and *pipe on to a parchment/Silpat covered baking sheet
bake @ 200ºF for 2hrs [converted from recipe’s convection oven temp of 176ºF]

*Using the Sultane Piping Nozzle is a little tricky and will take some practice [currently still trying to figure it out].

Through trial and error, the following technique worked for me:
Hold pastry bag perpendicular to lined baking sheet with nozzle directly against the surface
Gently pipe out mixture to desired size 
Gradually release pressure as you lift the pipping bag in a quick smooth motion

Meringues can stay fresh stored at room temp in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks; perfect for the pre bake party prep!

Plate with caution!  Little hands ran to the dessert table to sneak multiple servings of this sweet treat.  I take zero responsibility for the late afternoon toddler sugar rush [and crash].

Enjoy!