Meringue Kisses

Preheat oven to 200°F (100°C), line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer. Add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar (optional). Beat egg whites until foamy, start by beating on low then increase to high speed, when the mixture is foamy, add the sugar very slowly one teaspoon at a time while continuing to beat.

Once all the sugar has been added, continue whisking on high speed and whisk until the meringue is glossy and very stiff.

Stir in vanilla extract or other flavouring (see recipe notes). At this stage you can add gel food coloring if desired.

Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a tip/nozzle of your choice. Or just cut the end of the piping bag and pipe without a tip. If you wish you can color your kisses by adding food coloring gel strips inside your pastry bag before filling (see the video).

Pipe the kisses onto the prepared trays. Squeeze lightly on the piping bag slowly pulling up before quickly lifting off to create the tip.

Place the tray on the center rack and bake for about an hour, then turn the oven off and keep closed for an additional 1-2 hours.