Meringues

Our younger son turned four last thursday and I wanted to make something quick and easy for him to treat the other children in his group at the nursery. Unless you suffer from an egg allergy, these are pretty safe for almost everyone. (Obviously not very tooth friendly, but these are treats after all.)

Basic meringue recipe

4 large egg whites
2,5dl granulated sugar

Whip the egg whites until slightly frothy, then start adding the sugar a little at a time. Continue whisking until the meringue is stiff and glossy. (Add food coloring if desired, I had Wilton's royal blue)

Pipe the meringues onto a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 1h 15mins at 90degrees. You will end up with a dry and crunchy meringue.

Surprise party & Spiced Mini Cupcakes

It has been a little busy the past weeks and I have been baking a lot for the holidays, but my favourite sweet treats for Christmas eve and the days to follow are yet to be made (desserts that cannot be made too much in advance). I had the most wonderful time a week ago Friday night, when we together with a couple of close friends surprised a friend of ours in form of a hen night. We treated her to a facial, manicure and make-up, all done by a professional. We enjoyed each others company, some sparkling and loads of food. This time all things on offer were made gluten free, to make sure everyone could have a bit of everything. There wasn't a lot of time for photography, so I will be posting some of the recipes without pictures.

The homemade gluten free snacks for the evening included:

Pizza
Pasta Salad
Bread
Spiced Cupcakes with Frosting

and 

Selection of (smelly) cheeses
Apples and grapes
Cantaloupe with Serrano ham


Here is one of the recipes:

Spiced Mini Cupcakes (48pcs)

100grams butter, softened
1,5dl sugar
2 eggs
2dl gluten free flour mix (i.e. semper fin mix)
0,5dl cocoa powder
1dl ground almonds
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract
0,5-1tsp each of cardamom, ground cinnamon and ground ginger

Frosting

180grams philadelphia cream cheese
2dl whipping cream
icing sugar, to taste
1tbsp custard powder

1. Start by beating together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and fold it into the batter without over mixing.
3. Line a 24 hole mini cupcake tray with paper cases and pipe the mixture into the cases, filling them only half way. (I did the second batch on a regular oven tray, not having time to wait for the first ones to finish baking. It is just as good, as long as the paper cases for the cupcakes are sturdy enough, so that the cupcakes hold their shape while baking.)
4. Bake at 175degrees, until golden. (~15mins).
5. Once the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting by whisking the cream cheese with the cream, adding the sugar and sifting the custard powder into the cream to give it a firmer consistency. Pipe the frosting immediately and chill the cupcakes.
6. I decorated the cupcakes with some edible green glitter and some red and white candy cane sprinkles. They looked almost like little Christmas trees!:)