Meringue pops
These meringue pops are sure to make you smile. Simple meringues with swirls of colour, sandwiched with chocolate – a sweet treat that you can wrap as a gift, or use as a spectacular cake topper.
Equipment: you will need an electric whisk, a small clean paintbrush, a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and 6 long lolly sticks.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 3 free-range egg whites
- 250g/9oz caster sugar
- gel food colours of your choice (we used pink and yellow)
- sugar sprinkles or dried flowers, to decorate
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú white chocolate, roughly chopped
- 9g/â…“oz freeze-dried raspberries
Method
Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 100C/90C Fan/Gas ¼.
Wipe a large bowl and the beaters of your electric whisk with the vinegar to remove any grease. Add the egg whites and start whisking. As soon as they begin to get frothy, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and whisk until the sugar is incorporated. Keep adding the sugar a teaspoon at a time and whisking until you have used all the sugar: you should have a stiff and glossy mixture.
Dip a small paintbrush into the food colouring and paint a generous line of colouring up the inside of a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Repeat to make up to four more lines of colour, spaced well apart. Spoon the meringue mixture straight into the piping bag (the painted lines will create streaks of colour as you pipe).
Place 3 lolly sticks on each baking tray leaving enough room to pipe right on top of them. Pipe a swirl of meringue onto one end of a stick, starting in the centre and piping all the way around several times to create a circle about 8cm/3¼in diameter. Pipe another swirl of meringue that's the same size, but without a stick – this is the one to be sandwiched later. Repeat until you have filled the trays with six meringue swirls with sticks underneath and six without. Decorate with sprinkles or dried flowers and bake for 1 hour.
Turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside to cool completely with the oven door ajar.
Melt the chocolate and leave to cool, but not set. Stir in the freeze-dried berries and use the mixture to sandwich the meringues together. Leave the chocolate to set before serving or wrapping as gifts.
