Raspberry Meringues

When I was teaching a crazy amount of group exercise classes (nine a week, I’m exhausted just thinking about it!) I loved my Fridays. Friday was the only day a week that I didn’t have any classes to teach. It was my favorite day of the week because Thursday mornings I had a 5:30 am class, but Fridays I got to sleep in, ahhh. Sleep. Friday was the ultimate lazy day, or at least as lazy as I can be. I’m pretty sure I have adult ADD.

This is how lazy Friday would go. Alarm goes off at 6:00 am, BOING! I’m out of bed and off to the shower. Unlike boyfriend, who enjoys watching an episode of Saved by the Bell before hitting the shower, I like to wake up with hot water. This is where I start to plan my to do list, which I promptly forget once I start blow drying my hair. My brain has some holes in it. I’ll forget everything on my list once I sit down to eat my cheerios and watch the second Saved by the Bell episode. Oh Slater, how I love your muscle shirts.

Then I’m off to work. My hilly drive to Boulder made me very happy. The sun rising behind me and the moon setting over the Rockies, lovely. Heading into the lab I try to remember what exactly I was planning on doing for the day. Something having to do with chemistry, right? The next ten or eleven hours is when this chemistry would happen. Yes, I said ten or eleven hours. The life of an academic, it’s fun! Come to grad school where the days are long!

Lazy Friday ends with a trip to Wendy’s and a stop at the Redbox. No working out at night, just eating French fries, watching a movie and usually, doing laundry. Oh yeah, I’m exciting, I know how to party. Now, since we’re being ‘good’ this month, I thought a trip to Wendy’s was not the best way to celebrate lazy Friday. So, I made you some cookies. Light, airy and fruity cookies. Plus, they’re pink!

Raspberry Meringues

3 large egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 drops raspberry oil or 1 tsp raspberry extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pink gel food coloring (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg white, cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time until all added. The batter should have the consistency of marshmallow cream. Add extracts and food coloring (if using) and whip until blended.

Preheat oven to 300. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silpats. To form the cookies, either drop by the tablespoon onto the parchment, about a ¼-inch apart. Or, fill a piping bag and pipe batter into tight swirls.

Bake cookies for 20-25 minutes until crisp. You should be able to touch the cookie and it will be crisp, it won’t crush under your touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.