A recipe for crisp little vanilla raspberry meringues made into mini star-shaped kisses. You can use different liqueurs or leave it out all together.
Life is messy, made exponentially more so by children. Today one child stepped on a wayward grain of rice from packing lunch boxes, grinding it beneath his small heel straight into my relatively new area rug as he ran to brush his teeth. Toothpaste dribbles down the side of the sink bowl crusting over white. They drop their clothes on the floor and then kick them haphazardly under the bed, forgotten for weeks until you are accused of never doing the laundry as they search frantically for them in the hamper.
Socks are discarded beneath the dining room table as we eat; clearly mealtime is a no-socks affair. After dinner they skip through the living room on the way to wash their hands while running soiled fingers along the wall, palming as many surfaces as they can before they reach the water.
The day’s clothes are kicked under the bed, joining the pajamas from morning. Another round of toothpaste dribbles as arguments are raised over who gets to use the bathroom first. Their small bodies wrapped in flannel are then curled on the couch, one sprawled on his stomach, another tucked into a chair. The only sound is the crisp brushing as pages turn and my voice reading picture books to the youngest, his head tucked under my arm, eyes heavy. “I’m sleepy, Mom.”
I pull blankets tight around them, gathering the day’s discarded clothes as I exit the room. Down the chute to the basement hamper they fall while I wipe the toothpaste from the sink and Ole extracts rice particles from the rug. As I attempt to restore some semblance of order, I pick up a note on my desk written by the third. In neat letters across the paper it says, “I have an awesome mom. I love you.” I wouldn’t trade the four of them for anything.
More people are having babies that aren’t me. Jamie from My Baking Addiction is getting ready to welcome her first little bundle of life’s mess into her home, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. She’s headed for a life of cleaning up spills that are outdone greatly by the number of kisses and snuggles making it all worth it. Congratulations, Jamie!
These sweet little bites are flavored with a bit of raspberry liqueur and then calmed slightly with just a hint of vanilla. You could just as easily use raspberry extract (far less) or a different liquor to suite your tastes. The glossy little clouds give a satisfying crackle as you bite down on into the crisp cookie. With their extra small size, they’re easily piled into bowls or tucked into jars as party favors, or scooped up into your hand and popped one by one.
Vanilla Raspberry Mini Meringues
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Amber from Bluebonnets & Brownies | Lemon Strawberry Cupcakes
Julie from The Little Kitchen | Pistachio Pudding Cupcakes
Jen from My Kitchen Addiction | Sugar and Spice Cookies
Shaina from Food for My Family | Vanilla Raspberry Mini Meringue Kisses
Glory from Glorious Treats | Modern decorated cookies
Cheryl from TidyMom | Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
Katie from Good Life {Eats} | Raspberry Hibiscus Soda
Aimee from SimpleBites | How to freeze a big batch of homemade waffles
Amanda from I am Baker | Heath Bar Cake
Steph from Steph Chows | PB oatmeal cookies
Allison from Some the Wiser | Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Megan from Stetted | Strawberry Jalapeno Palmiers
Shelly from Cookies & Cups | Bacon Cheddar Scones
Emily from Jelly Toast | Meyer Lemon Scones
Kristan from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen | Samoa Layer Cake
Vanilla Raspberry Mini Meringue Kisses
Yield:
10
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Cook Time:
2 minutes
Additional Time:
3 hours 18 minutes
Total Time:
3 hours 45 minutes
oh don’t even get me started on the messes they make……had I known this before having kids………….. hehe
I need these meringues……like NOW! could I use raspberry puree instead of liqueur? I have some left from my cake
My kids don’t make messes!
Said no parent ever. Gorgeous little meringue kisses!!
this made me giggle, Amanda!
Love these. Found you on Pinterest. I think we will make some for Valentines.
I’m so glad you did!
Girl, you are going to make me cry. Beautiful post and adorable cookies. Love those kids!
Gorgeous post and those sweet little meringues look so delicious!!
Love your story and so sweet for Jamie! These meringue kisses are perfect for a baby shower!
I think these are the cutest meringues I have ever laid eyes on!! 🙂
You know I adore your kids as much as your writing, and it’s posts like this that exemplify why. I love how cute these little bites are. They’re nearly as cute as the kids! Love you x
It’s always refreshing to hear that our chaos is shared with other families, too! But you put it perfectly that the snuggles and hugs more than make up for all the crazy times. These cookies remind me of little snow flakes and are so perfect for Jamie’s winter baby 🙂
Made these today with my two kiddos! Thanks for the great recipe!
That was quick, Amy! I’m glad you and those cuties enjoyed them!
These are just perfect, Shaina! I am so looking forward to the messes, kisses and snuggles! Thank you so much for participating in the shower! You gals are the greatest!
So incredibly sweet! I’d love these with a little amaretto for sure 🙂
These are so darn cute and being from a family of seven kids, I know all to well about the chaos! My family has always been insane. It is mad chaos all the time!
These meringues are so cute and I love the addition of raspberry liqueur.. As for the kids ugh… Always some kind of mess even when they’re older.
Beautiful post and pictures, as usual. Such lovely words to share with a soon-to-be mother! You are one mother/writer/foodie that I admire so much.
Just perfect for a baby shower! So pretty and so delicious!
Hi, I came from Glorious treats. Love your story and the cute little meringues. mine always comes out sticky and when i bake it further they get burnt. but i’m not disheartened and going to try these little sweetlings.
& oh, your little model is so adorable 🙂
Oh, thank you so much! I am quite fond of my models. You could try leaving your meringues in the oven longer (oven off, door propped open) to help them dry out a bit more. This is a good alternative to over baking them. I’m glad you’re not deterred, and good luck!
I love these little mini kisses! How cute!
These are positively precious little kisses! I’ve never been able to tackle meringues, but I might have to give it another go!
Oh how I can relate to the tiny big messes around the house. I swear my kids have a mission to want to drive me insane with the “little” messes.
And I love notes like the one from your sweet baby…
Thanks for sharing your stories! This meringues look beautiful!
The cutest! Looks like the kids loved it!
Ooh, putting raspberry liqueur on my shopping list! We always made mint-chocolate chip meringues at my house at Christmas time but these sound great for Spring!
I do trust all the ideas you have offered to your post.
They are really convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for newbies.
May just you please prolong them a bit from next time?
Thanks for the post.