Recipe Challenge #2: Meringue Cookies

When I started to seriously dabble with cooking back in 2008, one of the first desserts I tried to make was meringue cookies.  I was still fairly thin and routinely exercising, but I wanted something sweet.  I've never had a meringue cookie before, so I thought I'd try my hand at them because I'd read on the internet how easy they were to make.

My first batch didn't go well as I made a stupid mistake.  You can't beat egg whites in a plastic bowl to save your life.  After trying over and over again, I gave up and poured the mix down the drain and pondered what I'd done wrong.  No sooner did it hit me what I'd done, and I promptly started smacking my head on the kitchen counter.

My second batch...the meringue puffed up nicely and I'd done all the right things.  I put them in the oven, and then they fell flatter than a pancake.  Some recipes tell you to cook on super low heat, others tell you to put the cookie sheets in a preheated oven and then shut it off as the residual heat is enough to cook/dry them out.  It was also raining that day, and any amount of humidity does not bode well for meringues because they won't dry out. 

I was as deflated as my second batch, and I never tried again.  Until now.  I'm bound and determined to make a successful batch or two this time around.  Right now, I have two egg whites in the fridge from the custard experiment, so it's a good time to use them up!