Day 12: FaLaLaLaLa-Meringues

Today's recipe is from Cooks.com. I looked up several recipes for meringues and they are all pretty much the same, so no rhyme or reason as to why I chose this one.
Here's one thing to know about meringues if you have never made them...they are deceptive little liars! You see them in bakeries, magazines, cookbooks and websites and they are so pretty, so simple, you just have to have them for your own. Then you read the recipe and think, "eggs, sugar, vanilla...I have that stuff, looks easy". Yeah, not so much. I have made them before and honestly they are not exactly difficult to make but there are some things to know. First make sure your egg whites are at room temperature; second, for the love of all that is holy, use a stand mixer; third, practice your piping skills before you start; and finally be patient.

the little peaks kept breaking off

I am pretty good a piping, not a professional, but not bad. At 5am, however, I could not find any of my large pastry tips. So I just cut the tip of the pasty bag and opted for the less inspiring "kiss" look. For the cherry-nut meringues though I did kind of want a rustic look, I swear I did not just get lazy. Which reminds of another tip: it's a good idea to draw, or better yet print, out small circles and lay or parchment maper over them while piping. This will give you more uniform shaped cookies. I did not...again, it was 5 am.
Martha Stewart has a recipe on her website for these adorable little peppermint meringues filled with chocolate ganache. If I can find the courage to trust her again I may give them a go.
Another thing about meringues: you always see them with their cute little bottoms dipped in chocolate and then maybe nuts or candies. This too, is not as easy at it may seem. After two I realized I was creating more mess than art and took the easy way out and just drizzled. Gotta love that drizzle!