I am posting this just to say that you can make meringues with brown sugar and that they do make lovely decorations. I really wanted a meringue that tasted like caramel without using an artifial caramel flavouring. I spread brown (golden) sugar out on a parchment covered cookie sheet, let it dry and then sifted it through a metal strainer. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of white sugar and I used a 1/2 cup brown and 1/4 cup white.

Recipe

3 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 brown and 1/4 white)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt (I used closer to a 1/4 tsp)

-use either a clean glass or metal mixing bowl because plastic is porous and can hold oils

-cookie sheet with parchment paper (I like mine cut to fit exactly so the paper doesn’t curl)

-piping bag with a 1M for roses or what ever tip you would like

Beat your egg whites till they are frothy, this is where I add the cream of tartar and vanilla. Beat a little more till the whites are looking more like foam, add the sugar and salt mixture slowly using a large soup spoon till it’s all incorporated and beat until they are stiff and hold a firm peak. There are some very important rules that other bakers use but I have tendency to fly by the seat of my pants!!

Preheat your oven to 225F then turn it down to 200F. I have found that if your oven is too hot your meringues will crack. I bake them for 2 hours then turn the oven off and leave them in the oven till it cools down, sometimes over night if I’m baking late. This allows them to cool till they are dry all the way through.

caramel roses