Baketastic! (take 3)

Today (and indeed, every day this week) I've been baking Candy Cane Swirls, a tasty meringue-based recipe which has impressed pretty much everyone who's tried it.

TFC, I hope you can find some non-alcohol-based peppermint essence

Candy Cane Swirls

Ingredients – for 40 swirls
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar (TFC – Seriously, Caster, not Brown – just FYI)
1/4 tsp Peppermint Essence
Red food colouring
10 mini Candy Canes, Crushed

The Candy Canes I used with a measuring tape so you can guess about the amount.  Also, how fine I smash it up.

Method
Preheat oven to 100/120C (fan forced/not)
Line large trays with baking paper
Beat eggs to soft peaks, add caster sugar and beat (using electric beater) for another 8-10 minutes add the peppermint essence.  It'll look like this:

Meringue mix

Now prepare your piping bag:
fit with the 6-point flute
take a bamboo skewer dipped in the red food colouring – and draw it from one of the flute-points up the side of the piping bag.  repeat for each flutepoint.
fill the bag with meringue mix.
pipe 3cm swirls on to the trays

Fresh-piped swirls

Sprinkle with the candy canes

Sprinkled with candy canes

Bake for 40 minutes.  DO NOT remove from the oven until completely cooled. (They'll crack)  cool with the door ajar.

For the record, I tried making some red&green ones (because they're more christmassy)  Not a good plan – the green and red dyes mix and turn… brown.  seriously unappetising – trust me.

I think I'm going to have to try some more cooking with Essences.  and maybe even embedding chocolate in them… I have some ideas now about meringues.

Make heaps, they're pretty popular.

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