These colorful meringue cookies are perfect for Easter or any Spring events. You can simply display them on a dessert buffet, used them to adorn a cake or cupcakes or gift-pack them to add them to an Easter basket or give away as party favors. 

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup Chefmaster Deluxe Meringue Powder
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract (more if you desire a stronger flavor profile)
• Chefmaster Liqua-Gel® in the following colors: Mint Green, Lemon Yellow, Sky Blue and Baker’s Rose

Tools & Utensils:

Measuring Cups & Spoons

Small Sauce Pan (or Hot Water Kettle)

Stand Mixer with a whisk attachment

5 Decorating Pastry Bags

Coupler and large star decorating tip (#1M or similar recommended)

Rubber Band (or flat plastic bag clip)

Silicone Spatulas 

Small bowls 

Baking Sheets

Parchment Paper

Tall wide Glass or small flower vase (optional)

Preparation:

1. Prepare and measure all your ingredients.
2. Heat oven to 250°F (225°F for convection oven). 
3. Put water to boil.
4. Add granulated sugar to the mixer bowl. 
5. Pour boiling water on the top of your sugar and stir on lowest setting until fully dissolved. 
6. Let mix cool off completely. During that time, line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Once simple syrup is fully cooled, add your meringue powder. 
8. Beat at medium speed for a few minutes, then high speed until high, stiff peaks form. 
9. Mix in the vanilla flavor until well blended. 
10. Separate your meringue into 5 equal parts in separate bowls (you can leave the meringue you want to keep white in the bowl of your mixer).
11. Add a few drops of Chefmaster Mint Green Liqua-Gel® food coloring into one of the bowls. Blend until the evenly distributed.
12. Repeat step above with each one of the remaining food colors (Lemon Yellow, Sky Blue and Baker’s Rose), one color per bowl. 
13. Attach the coupler and large start tip to your first pastry bag.
14. Fold the top of the pastry bag down a few inches and use a spatula to carefully transfer white meringue into your bag.. 
• It is easier to set your pastry bag inside a tall glass with the tip down and fold over the sides of the glass than to hold the bag with your hands.
• Close your decorating bag by twisting the top and sealing with a strong rubber band or plastic bag clip.
15. Pipe white meringue cookies onto a paper lined baking sheet leaving approx. 1 inch in between each cookie.
16. Once the bag is empty, remove the coupler and star tip. Clean, rinse and dry carefully (if any moisture remains on the tip it will mess with your meringue when you pipe).
17. Repeat for each of the 4 colored meringue mixtures, cleaning and rinsing your coupler and tip in between each color. 
• If you are a hobby decorator and have more than 1 large star tip available then you can simply use one tip for each color and not have to worry about cleaning, rinsing, and drying in between each color.
18. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (oven times may vary). To finish baking let the cookies sit 1-2 hours inside oven without opening the door (or open oven door slightly and leave in the oven for 6-8 hours). 
19. Let your meringue drops cooled completely.

Your pastel meringue cookies are ready to enjoy. You can use the same recipe and change food coloring to make meringue cookie assortments in other seasonal colors. Red, white, and blue for 4th of July; Orange, purple, black and white for Halloween; Red, yellow, green and white for Christmas, and so forth. The possibilities are endless.