Vanilla Bean Meringue Kisses PLUS Bonus Recipe

Free from: dairy, egg, soy, sesame, mustard, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, gluten, animal product, animal by-product.

Hey! How has your week been? I did something last Sunday that will forever change the way we do things as a family … I banned TV watching! As predicted, Munsur was quite unhappy with my decision. No TV on was as a result of something he’d said to me like I never let him watch TV. There have been a number of times where I’d told Munsur that words carry meaning, so he has to be mindful of what he says, especially around others. My son’s never one to be rude or obnoxious, he’s quite the opposite, actually. But he has a tendency to use the infinite words always and never whenever something doesn’t go his way. And I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it does.

I found this taped on my bedroom door – Munsur expressing his discontent.

So when he uttered the sentence you never let me watch TV, I said no more TV on Sundays. It was originally to teach him {and his sister} a lesson. But I’ll tell you, it was one of the best Sundays we’ve had as a family. He was supposed to have hockey that morning but it was cancelled. So with no TV on, and a backyard full of snow, my kids bundled up and went outside to play and had the absolute best time. When they came home, I made them hot chocolate, and the two played and coloured. Before we knew it, Munsur had his soccer game to go to so we all went to watch him play. Afterwards, we came home and he and Sofia went downstairs to the basement and took some shots on net. He’s quite obsessed with hockey and I love that.

Sports are crucial to a child’s development, in my opinion. Don’t you think so? I grew up playing competitive basketball {also track and a year of soccer too} and the confidence playing sports has given me is unmatched anywhere else. It also kept me away from many unfavourable situations like smoking, drugs, and alcohol. It was my best and favourite excuse anytime I got asked if I wanted to smoke something or go out and drink. “I’m an athlete.” That sentence kept me out of trouble and I’m thankful that my parents encouraged my siblings and I to play and to compete in the sports we loved. Here I am now years later doing the same with my own two.

OK. About these AMAZING cookies. To make my kids feel better about the whole TV ban, I decided I’d make meringue cookies for them. You’re right, thanks, I am a good mom. They’re truly amazing because they’re made without any eggs. I should thank my sister for turning my attention to an article which talked about Aquafaba, or bean water. The article talks about the phenomenon that’s present in bean water; namely that when whipped at high speed, it suddenly turns into a light and stiff foam. Much like how egg whites behave. The reasoning isn’t clear but what’s important is that this opens so many doors for those of us who don’t use eggs in their baking. First thing I did after finishing the read was soak my chickpeas overnight, cooked them, and started experimenting with the water.

I’m annoyed {just a tad} that I didn’t think about using chickpea water as an egg replacer myself. Given that we have Tisiyeh once a week, and there’s frothing of the chickpea water every time I beat it, you’d think I would’ve thought of it. But it’s ok, the important thing is it was discovered for the rest of us to enjoy experimenting with. Needless to say, 300 cookies later, I got it. Don’t let the amount of sugar scare you. The sugar’s needed {as I’d discovered while making the many batches} in order to stiffen and crisp up the cookies. The sweetness isn’t translated as much once the cookies are done. They’re sweet, but not overwhelming. They taste unbelievable: crispy exterior and a chewy, almost melty interior. The only thing you’ll have to be patient with is the time spent in the oven. Otherwise, look forward to great tasting, healthy cookies, made with water. ;)

As always, don’t forget to tag No Dairy No Cry when making any of my recipes on your social media. And you can follow my daily posts here, here, here, and here and get inspired to make foods and desserts for you and your loved ones.

And because I love you guys, I made another recipe using these Vanilla Bean Meringue Kisses. Enjoy..and I know you will. The recipe for Cardamom Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Meringues is found at the end of this post. :)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250F.

2. Beat chickpea water on high speed for 3 minutes. You’ll notice the water turn into a ‘whipped’ cream around the 2 minute mark.

3. Add sugar gradually and continue beating for another 3 minutes.

4. Next, gradually add icing sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.

5. Follow up with the cream of tartar and beat for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

6. Finally, add the scraped vanilla bean and beat for an additional 30 seconds, until vanilla specs are present everywhere in the cream.

7. Pipe the cream with choice of tip, or using 2 tea spoons, scoop cream and place on parchment or silicone mat, keeping cookies minimum 1″ apart, and bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven, and enjoy.

These cookies do well at room temperature uncovered but they do lend chewy composition if you’re into that. If you like them crunchy both on the outside and in, then store in a lidded container – and I recommend this. Keeps well for a couple of weeks and longer {provided they last that long}.

BONUS RECIPE: Cardamom Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Meringues

When these deliciously airy and crunchy cookies are dipped in the cardamom chocolate, it adds a refreshing note that will surely please your palate. My kids absolutely loved the chocolate dipped cookies. Enjoy, my loves.

Ingredients

1 1/4 C Enjoy Life Mega Chunks chocolates or dairy free chocolate of choice

4 cardamom pods, ground {~ 1/2 tsp}

1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Using a mortar and pestle, or the back of a spoon, separate seeds from pods and crush/grind cardamom seeds until finely ground.

2. Next, melt 1 cup of the chocolate over a double-boiler, reserving the 1/4 cup. Add coconut oil and mix until fully incorporated.

3. Then, turn heat off and add ground cardamom. Mix very well.

4. Remove bowl from heat and add reserved chocolate. Mix until completely melted.

5. Taking one cookie at a time, dip either the top, side, or bottom with chocolate and lay on a cooling rack or wax paper for the chocolate to set. You may briefly place cookies in the fridge or freezer to speed up the hardening process.

Bon appétit! xo