This one is for James!

These microwave meringues are incredibly easy to make and take minutes as opposed to hours. They are not as beautiful as traditional meringues (which can be gorgeously shaped into mushrooms and anything else), but they are definitely tasty and make a unique dessert.

Ingredients:

• 2 c of confectioners’ sugar
• 1 egg white

Directions:

1. Cover a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel. Tear off several paper towels for rest of cookies.
2. Crack an egg onto a plate.
3. Separate the yolk from the egg using the water bottle method. Squeeze a little bit of the air out of the bottle, place it on the yolk, and then slowly let the bottle expand again to suck up the yolk.  (Cute trip, just separate the egg, duh.)
4. In a large bowl, mix half of the sugar and the egg white together with a spoon.
5. Add the rest of the sugar.
6. Mix with your hands until a thick, sticky dough forms.  You may have to add more powdered sugar.  The dough is about the consistency of soft clay.
7. You may wash your hands now.
8. Roll dough into pea-sized balls for puffier meringues and non-spherical clumps for flatter meringues.
9. Place three or four on paper towel. They will puff out and triple in size in the microwave, so don’t put them too close together.
10. Make them in batches, do three or four at a time.
    The cooking time will depend on how powerful your microwave is. My meringues puffed out but did not burn when I microwaved them for 1 minute. I had to experiment with a few batches to figure out the best timing. You will have to adjust this for how powerful your microwave is, but there is enough dough to experiment with at home.  I also found I could leave the plate in the microwave and move the paper towel.  I also discovered the plate got very hot after a couple of batches!  Alternate two plates would be better.
11. When they’re done, remove them from the microwave and let them sit for about 30 seconds.
12. Peel them gently from the paper towel. They will come off easily.
13. Wait a minute or so before eating. They will be very hot inside. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

You can serve your meringues topped with whipped cream and fruit or inside an Eton Mess, which is an English dessert made of pieces of meringue, berries, and cream.  This British dessert is traditionally served at Eton College’s annual July 4 prize-giving celebration.

Serves:  Makes two to three dozen depending on the size of the balls.

Source:  Wonder-how-to Food Hacks and some trial and error.

Note:  I tried a chocolate chip in a ball but it sank to the bottom and melted out.  Coco powder would work.