Baking Spell

Since I've come home, I've been hit with a cooking bug. All I ever want to do right now is cook. Sort of true. Maybe because I was missing my sewing machine.. regardless, I've taking on cooking right now, and it's fantastic!

Meringues, are so fluffy and yummy. I never knew that they're actually super simple and easy to make! I always thought they're supposed to be so difficult and challenging, but no. So simple! To me, they fall into a category that macarons also fall into. They're both light, crunchy, and uses egg whites.

Anyway, baking is such a time buster. It's good for a boring day, it makes it, well, less boring.

Meringues
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (which is basically regular sugar)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 spoons
- electrical mixer

First, preheat your oven to 200 F.

Take your eggs and put it into a large bowl. Use your electric mixer and whisk it on low speed until it becomes frothy. (Frothy meaning extremely bubbly and foam-like)

Then, you add your cream of tartar and continue to whisk. Whisk until it makes soft peaks (What do you mean soft peaks? Well, until it doesn't quite look like egg whites anymore).

Add some sugar (not all of it) and mix. Add more sugar and mix. And continue to do so until all the sugar is gone.

Now you turn your mixer on higher and whisk and whisk and whisk. Until they hold hard peaks. (Soft peaks and now hard peaks? Hard peaks meaning they look like little mountains if you try to make little mountains. Soft peaks are kind of like little mountains that can't stand still) and if you take some of the mix and rub between your index and thumb, it's smooth and you can't feel the sugar bits.

Got your hard peaks? Time to take your two spoons and put it on your cookie sheet. But wait! Before you do that, line your sheet with parchment paper. Now, take one spoon and make a little lump on your sheet. Use the other spoon to help get it off the spoon. You might want to take a chopstick (or something like that) and make a swirl on the lump to make it look pretty.

As soon as you're done that, put it in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Rotate halfway through to ensure even baking.

Finished

Sugary happiness.

Still not bad for another first time try right?