PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, gradually, while continuing to beat, until stiff, shiny peaks form. Add the peppermint extract and beat in thoroughly. For really cool looking meringues that have the appearance of peppermint candies, take a pastry bag (if you don't have one, a large freezer bag or something similar will work) and the red paste food color and a small paint brush, and paint four stripes up the sides of the bag, evenly apart. Fill the bag with meringue, holding I like a cone, and snip off a small corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag and form small drops of meringue onto cookie sheets LINED WITH TIN FOIL OR PARCHAMENT PAPER. They do not increase in size, so they can be placed close together on the sheets. If you can not do the food color thing, just pipe the plain, uncolored meringues onto the cookie sheets, and sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top. Bake for 1 ½ hours. Meringues should be dry, but not browned. Turn off oven, and let meringues cool inside. Will store up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container.