Kids will get a kick out of making these fake bones which also happen to be yummy.
Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cooking Instructions: Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F. Use parchment paper to line two cookie sheets. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Gradually(one spoonful at a time) add the sugar, beating well after each addition so that the sugar is absorbed into the meringue. Continue beating until the meringue stands up in a glossy, firm peak when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Then you can beat in the vanilla. Carefully spoon the meringue into a pastry decorating bag with a plain round tip approximately 3/8-inch wide (a bit smaller can be ok, but no smaller than 1/4-inch). Pipe 3-inch bone shapes (think one long line with two rounded blobs on each end). Keep in mind that you will need to pipe all the meringue at once because it cannot be baked in batches since it will deflate if it sits too long.
Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the heat off and let the meringues remain in the oven for 1 more hour in order to dry and crisp them. Remove from cookie sheets carefully since you don’t want any broken bones!
Tips-Younger children can add the sugar gradually as an adult beats the meringue with an electric mixer.Older children (9 and up) can help form the bone shapes with the pastry bag (it will take a bit of practice, so be patient).
