Minty Meringue

I had a friend come over and make a delicious dish. It calls for egg yokes, you end up with the three egg whites left over.  It feels like such a shame to just dump them down the drain. I had her saved them. Now I would have loved to make divinity- but being successful only once and that was with my mom, I opted for Meringue. Which calls for three three egg whites instead of only two. I found Peppermint Meringue on Simply Recipe I also found it super tasty.
The recipe calls for peppermint candy's "pulverized" say's to use two ziploc baggies with the candy inside then you bash it with a hammer. The last time I did this recipe It was late, like crazy-neighbor-shut-up-late. I sat out on the balcony and bashed away on these poor candies with my hammer. Totally spacing the food processor I had stashed in the closet. This time I remembered it. It works much better for alot less work and  a heck of a lot less noise. Thank you Grandma for the gift, it's finally getting some use 7 years later.

The recipe is quite simple and as long as you remember a few things and have a few things handy life will be good in meringue land.
First off, you need a stand alone mixer, not a hand mixer and for the love of all things sane, do not try to do this recipe by hand. You will not be able to beat fast enough. And your patience runs out very very quickly when your arm is tired, sore and d.o.n.e.
Second, let your egg whites warm to room temp. I neglected to do this, hence the reason you have a picture of the finish product on a cookie sheet and not on a pretty plate. The plate might be pretty- the meringue's noooot so much. 
The link for the website is below along with the recipe. They are Mint-tastic! 

Peppermint Meringue Cookies

It's easiest to separate the eggs when they are cold. Since you'll want the egg whites to be at room temperature before whipping them (they will get more lift that way), for best results, separate your eggs at least a half hour before starting this recipe, and leave egg whites out to come to room temp.

Make sure that all bowls, hands, and utensils that might touch the eggs are clean and free from oils.

For best results, avoid making on a humid or rainy day.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 Tbsp thoroughly crushed peppermint candies*
• 3 egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar (use superfine if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

* Pulverize candies by placing them in sealed, doubled-up freezer bags. Use a meat mallet (smooth side) or hammer to gently pound them into a fine powder.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 300°F.

2 Put egg whites into a standup mixer, add a pinch of salt. Start the mixer on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium until quite foamy and soft peaks can just begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Egg white bubbles should be small and uniform.

3 Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar, a little (1-2 teaspoons) at a time. Continue to whip egg whites and sugar for a few minutes, then add the vinegar. Increase the speed to the highest setting and whip the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, about 4 to 5 minutes.

4 Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crushed peppermints (and the mini chocolate chips, if you are using).

5 Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. If you are using parchment paper, you can put a dollop of the meringue mixture in the corners of the pans before placing the parchment paper on them, to help secure the parchment paper in place (pastry chef's trick, thank you, Shuna). Either use a spoon to drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the cookie sheets (spaced an inch apart) or use a pastry piping bag (can make one with a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off) to pipe mounds (1 1/2 inches wide) onto the lined cookie sheet.

6 Put the cookie sheets in the 300°F oven, close the door. Wait for one minute only, then turn the oven OFF. Do not open the door for another 3 hours. You can leave them in the oven overnight. The meringues will gently cook in the residual heat of the oven. When done, the meringues will be lightly crisp on the outside and light and airy on the inside. If they are still a little chewy after 3 hours, just let them dry out for a few more hours.

Makes 24 meringue cookies. Store in an airtight container.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peppermint_meringue_cookies/