Herfstvakantie project : Mocha Schuimpjes (Mocha Meringues)

Another school vacation. It's still day one and my daughter kept asking me every hour what she can do. Oh God. She got bored so easily and she still had 5 more days at home. She already played with her brother, made a mess everywhere, made some origami, pictures, watched TV, but still. I had to do something otherwise my head will explode. So, I decided to give her another project. I'll teach her how to make a meringue or I call it Schuimpjes. It was my first baking project when I was eleven or twelve. It is easy to make. It was a big success even when I didn't have a proper oven at that time.

I knew it! When I asked her to bake some schuimpjes, she jumped happily and said yes. I asked her to measure the ingredients, mix them and use a pipping bag to make it. She wants mocha schuimpjes. So I'm going to use mocha paste instead of using coffee and chocolate. I think it is easier for her.

Ingredients :

• 2 Egg whites
• 100 grams (7/8 cup) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp  vanilla extract
•  1/4 tsp mocha paste

Preparation :

1. Preheat oven for 120 C (248 F)
2. Prepare two baking sheet and line it with baking paper. Set aside.
3. In a big, clean, glass or ceramic bowl, whisk the egg white until soft peak formed.
4. Add powdered sugar gradually into the egg white while whisking continuously.
5. After all the sugar is added into the egg white, keep whisking until the mixture is soft, thick, and glossy. (There's should be a long trailing peak formed when the whisk is lifted from the mixture)
   
6. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag (I'm using piping bag with star tip).
7. Gently squeeze the piping bag to remove the air from the bag until the mixture is visible on the nozzle.
8. Tightly twist the end of the piping bad to seal.
9. Pipe the schuimpjes/ meringue mixture into the baking sheet about 2-3 cm wide and 1 cm high.
   
10. Bake the schuimpjes/meringue into the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
11. Lower the temperature of the oven until 100 C (212 F) and bake for another 30 minutes.
12. Remove the baking pan from the oven and let it cool for a little bit before removing the schuimpjes/meringue from the baking paper. 
13. Remove the schuimpjes (it should be easy to peel them from the baking paper). 
14. After they are cool completely, store them in airtight container. 

Tip : Before whisking the egg whites, make sure that the bowl is clean, free from fat, water, and or egg yolk otherwise your egg whites wont rise up and make soft peak properly. 

Tip: You can always use a spoon to transfer the mixture into the baking paper instead of piping bag. Just spoon the mixture and drop it on the baking paper. Use two spoons if needed.

Tip : Adjust the time of baking depend on the size the schuimpjes/meringue. But the baking time should be at least 1 hour. Because actually this process is to make the meringue dry by evaporating the water from the mixture.