Meringue Drops - Marengstoppar

These delicious meringue drops are the perfect accompaniment for home-made ice-cream. It’s good for using up the egg whites left over from the ice-cream making.

5 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar (may be left out)
1 2/3 cup sugar, white or confectioners'
1 tsp vanilla essence
a dash of salt

Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar bit by bit, whipping well in-between. Whip until the dough is stiff and mix in vanilla or other flavouring (sherry or rum is also good). Oil and flour a baking sheet, or simply line one with baking paper. Put some of the dough into a pastry bag with a big tip, and squeeze out some even sized blobs onto the baking sheet/paper. The dough will not rise noticeably, so make them the size you want the cookies to be. Bake in a warm oven (150° C) until they are dry and have started to take on a slight golden colour (if you test one for doneness, it does not matter if they are sligthy chewy right at the center). Remove immediately from the baking sheet and allow to cool before storing in a cookie tin.

Variation: Make small drops, dip them in chocolate, and serve as sweets.

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