whimsical wednesday

here we are at the first wednesday of may, which means we learn something new for whimsical wednesday.  my "lessons" with learning the ukulele have come to an end (a borrowed instrument that was returned) so my learn something new activity will focus on something else.  for awhile i have thought to try my hand at making meringue cookies.  unless something else diverts my attention,  cookies it will be. 

later...

meringue cookie making was an interesting experience. couldn't find the beaters for the mixer. someone must have "helped" me while visiting and moved them to who knows where. there was plenty of eggs but i discovered i had no cream of tartar. searching for a substitution, i learned acid, such as vinegar or citrus juice, would do. and in searching further discovered that many recipes don't use acid or cream of tartar at all. 

the first batch of eggs cracked became an omelet because some of the yoke of one of the eggs got into the whites. (after the cookies went into the oven i made and enjoyed the omelet.) with no mixer to speed the whipping process, i sat myself in front of a television program and whisked away until the egg whites were at the soft peak stage.  i added almond extract for flavor.  with no piping bag blobs of meringue was plopped on the cookie sheets with a spoon. the blobs weren't pretty or elegant like the recipe photos but it was fine for a learning experience. note: future meringue cookies will also be blobs as the will be no purchasing of a piping bag. i am just not committed to using a piping bag for anything much less cookies i may never bake again.

the baking went well and the cookies tasted great. after awhile, however, the cookies became soft and felt wet.  problem? didn't bake long enough. still i was pleased with the first attempt at meringue cookies.  in searching for the recipe i discovered one for chocolate chewy meringue cookies.  now those, which do not require a piping bag, are on the list of recipes to try.