Tonight Sammy and I decided that the best thing in the world would be to take a cruise from Miami, through the Panama Canal, to San Diego–eating our way through ports all along eastern and western Mexico the whole way. She thought it sounded like heaven. How many 7 year olds do you know with a Panama Canal cruise on their bucket list?
I love my kids.
But in the meantime, we need to find some local fun, so Creative Cookie Exchange came at the perfect time to push my butt back into the kitchen and set about baking something fun. We’ve changed things up a bit, as we are no longer doing a linky and instead just sharing our cookies as a group of hosts. Our motto is the more cookies the tastier, though, so if you have a blog and a Facebook account and want to join in, please contact me at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com.
The theme this month is Put On Your Pink and Red for Valentine’s Day! We hope we are catching you guys in time for planning your Valentine’s Day treats. I chose Strawberry Rhubarb Meringues, after finding a recipe for raspberry meringues in Annie Bell’s Baking Bible and adapting from there, and I sprinkled them with pink sugar just in case the strawberry rhubarb jam did not add enough of a pink color. Good thing I did! I expected the meringues to be streaky with pink, but instead the jam seems to have completely incorporated. It is ok though, the pink sugar keeps them festive and the strawberry rhubarb flavor shines through beautifully. Alex and I especially cannot stop eating these; Alex called them “meringue-a-licious!!!’
As mentioned, the theme this month is Put On Your Red and Pink for Valentine’s Day! Creative Cookie Exchange has decided to stop using the linky. What this means is that the only way to join in the fun is to become a host. Just contact me at the email address above, and I will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.
You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Facebook page, our Pinterest Board, and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration for Valentine’s Day, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made so far:
- Big Be Mine Cookie from Food Lust People Love
- Glazed Doughnut Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Iced VoVos from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
- Jam Sandwich Cookies from A Baker’s House
- Pomegranate Cheesecake Cookies from It’s Yummi!
- Strawberry Rhubarb Meringues from The Spiced Life
- Valentine Heart Cookies from Noshing With The Nolands
- 1/4 cup strawberry rhubarb jam
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 pinch of cream of tartar
- 1 2/3 cups (scant) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- bright sparkling pink sanding sugar for sprinkling
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Preheat the oven to 275 F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
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Gently heat the strawberry rhubarb jam to loosen it, then press it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids. Set aside.
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Whip the egg whites in a clean bowl until frothy, and then add the cream of tartar. Continue whipping. When it is thicker and more opaque but still not holding any kind of peak, start adding the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue until all of the sugar is gone, and whip the egg whites until they are glossy and hold a stiff peak.
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Using 3-4 folding motions, fold the jam into the egg whites--if they are streaky that is fine.
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You may either dump your meringues onto the prepared cookie sheet like drop cookies, or you may scoop the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the individual meringues out onto the cookie sheets. I prefer smaller meringues. Keep about an inch between meringues.
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Sprinkle the meringues with the pink sanding sugar.
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Place in the oven and reduce the heat to 225 F (because these bake at such a low temperature I think you could try baking 3 sheets at once if you have enough racks; 2 sheets in the conventional oven worked just fine). Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, until the outsides of the meringues are crispy. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside the oven for another 30 minutes.
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Remove the meringues from the oven and use a thin spatula to remove them--if they stick at all, return them to the oven and let them cool in the heat for another 15 minutes (these meringues were a little sticky because of the jam, but once they were done they all popped off the pans without problem).
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Let cool completely.
The sprinkle of pink was a great idea, Laura, even if the pink streaks did show up. My philosophy on decorating cookie and cakes is always more is more. I’ll bet they taste deliciously of raspberry and rhubarb!
This is such a fun meringue flavor! I’ve never actually made meringues, though I do so love eating them. Can’t resist popping one in my mouth every time I pass the bowl!
Looks too good and pretty.. nice clicks too!!
These are pretty cookies and the sprinkles of color add a bit of extra fun!
These are one of my daughter’s favorite cookies and I know she would love the strawberry rhubarb flavor in these. How unique, love them. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
These definitely look “meringue-a-licious”. These would disappear pretty quick in my household.
The idea of that cruise sounds good to me too, and may suit me perfectly since I’m pretty sure that the Panama Canal does not move as much as the Pacific Ocean, so that may quell my being seasick.
Lovely pastel pink…And cookies look so wonderfully yummy and delicate =)
P.s. Your daughter does sound pretty darn special. Enjoy the cruise!
I love that light pink color SO much more than cookies loaded with food coloring! Thanks for sharing another great recipe 🙂
I want to do the Panama Canal cruise! Can I come? Your cookies look great btw!
I think Creative Cookie Exchange should take a cruise together! 😀
Because you are the hostess of this cookie exchange I thought you should know that when I tried to view the recipe by Food Lust People Love, I received this warning:
“Possible web threat
The site you are about to open may be harmful to your computer or to your personal data. It may contain a virus, phishing software, or malware. You can click Continue to view the site, or Back to go back to the previous site.”
I think that happens because the word lust is in her blog name. So silly. Her blog is fine I promise.
i can personally vouch for the awesomeness of San Diego because I live there and am lucky enough to call it home so the cruise definitely sounds bucket list worthy! These cookies look great. I’ve never made meringues, but would love to try!
Yum! What a fantastic flavour combination. I’ll definitely have to try these.
You had me at meringue. And strawberry-rhubarb is my sweetheart’s favorite, so I will definitely be making some of these. I think it’s great that your 7-year old wants to cruise through the Panama Canal, and what a gift you are giving her to be cultivating her a sense of adventure at such a young age!