Basic Meringue

Ingredients
4 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2¼ C powdered sugar
optional: food coloring

Directions
Preheat oven to 250˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed and beat until thick and opaque (about 1 minute more). Gradually add powdered sugar a little (¼ C) at a time; beat until stiff shiny peaks form (about 5 more minutes).

Scoop or pipe meringue into desired shapes and bake about 3 hours (4 for larger/thicker shapes) until dry and crisp. Let cool completely on baking sheets. Store in airtight container in dry place for up to 1 week.

Lots of ways to serve these... color with food coloring and pipe into various shapes, sandwich two cookies with jam, dust with cocoa powder, fold in chocolate chips just before piping and baking, dip bottoms in melted white chocolate and then in colored sanding sugar...

Lemon-Ricotta Cookies

2½ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ C butter, softened
2 C sugar
2 eggs
15 oz ricotta cheese
3 Tbls lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon

glaze
1½ C powdered sugar
3 Tbls lemon juice
optional: lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well blended; add ricotta, lemon juice and zest, beating until combined. Stir in dry ingredients.

Pipe using a pastry bag, or drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets 20 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice (and zest) until smooth. Spoon onto each cookie, using the back of the spoon to gently spread glaze.

Meringues

Meringues...or, as my family sometimes calls them: Styrofoam cookies.

½ tsp peppermint extract
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¾ C sugar
1 C chocolate chips
(the mini ones are great in this recipe)

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add cream of tarter and sugar. Gently fold in peppermint (and food coloring if desired). Add chocolate chips. Cover cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Drop meringue by spoonfuls onto covered cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350°. Put cookies in oven and TURN OVEN OFF. "Bake" cookies 6 hours (or just leave them in overnight). Gently remove cookies from aluminum foil.