Spookily Scary Halloween Meringue Bones!

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of trick-or-treating; we welcome little witches and ghosts (with parents!) to visit us on Halloween night, but I'd rather be cosy and warm inside my house than traipsing around the neighbourhood with a bag full of sugar-rush fuel!

We often have a family tea party so that my children can still get dressed up... here's one of our favourite recipes, great served with 'eyeball jelly' (grapes and fruit jelly!).

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup of granulatd sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 105C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. Beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, one spoonful at a time and continue beating until the meringue stands up in stiff, shiny peaks, then beat in the vanilla.
3. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 7cm bone shapes; a long line with 2 rounded blobs at either end. 
4. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave in the oven for a further hour.
5. Carefully remove from the baking sheets and serve with gruesome 'eyeball jelly'!

Magical Microwave Meringues!

There's a tale to be told one day about 30 eggs, me and a kitchen full of 'mistakes'! I love meringues but hate (HATE) making them... so when I came across this recipe for microwave meringues (no whisk, just 2 ingredients) I just didn't quite believe it.

So we had a challenge. My daughter made 'traditional' meringue and I made the microwave version to see which worked best. If I hadn't made the microwave ones myself, I would never have believed that they would work.

Here's the video to see for yourself...

And my final result...

They're definitely more of a 'rugged' version than the piped shop-bought meringues but they taste delicious and there's the added bonus of no stress while making them! My daughter's traditional version turned out to be a flop... literally - and so she wouldn't let me post a photo!

So just add fruit and cream to your liking and enjoy - tasty meringue in less than 15 minutes!

Summer Raspberry Sweet Treats!

Summer is a time for picnics and al fresco eating, but what's a picnic without a sweet treat?! Combine your outdoor eating with a good walk and you've every excuse for a tasty dessert!

We love these simple Raspberry Shortbread Bites - prepare in advance and then assemble just before eating... delicious!

Ingredients (makes 6)
Shortbread
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
100g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
100g cornflour

Topping
150g raspberries, washed (other soft fruits will also work really well)
Clotted cream, fresh cream or butter icing, which ever is your preference
White chocolate chips/shavings

Base
6 ready made meringue nests

1. At home, make the shortbread. Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
2. With an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for approx. 3-4 mins. Sieve the flour and cornflour into the mixture and combine with the mixer for a further 4-5 mins.
3. Roll out onto a floured surface to a thickness of approx. 2cm. Cut into rounds with a 6cm cutter. Re-roll the dough and cut further shapes if required (any leftovers can be your taste-testers!)
4. Bake in the oven for approx. 10 mins - the edges should be golden brown. Once out of the oven, sprinkle with a little sugar - coloured sugar looks a little bit more special! Leave on the tray for a couple of minutes to cool and then cool completely on a wire rack. The shortbread will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container (if it lasts that long!)
5. When you are ready to eat the delicious treats, place a meringue nest on your plate, top with a little cream, a sprinkle of white chocolate and a few raspberries. Finish off with a shortbread top and enjoy! 

So there we have it - my entry for the Sweet Treats category! I hope that you enjoy it as much as my family does.

This post is an entry for the #MorrisonsMum (or #MorrisonsDad) Summer Recipe eBook Challenge sponsored by Morrisons, which has recently cut prices on over a thousand every day products. Find out more here price checker tool.