Lemon Drop Meringues

A light, lemony sweet, these Lemon Drop Meringues are like a ray of sunshine. We've taken the classic Meringue Kiss and turned it into a tart, sunny spring dessert that look impressive and taste great. Our Test Kitchen describes these Lemon Drop Meringues as "fancy Lemonhead candies," and if that doesn't convince you to give this recipe a try, we don't know what will.

It all starts with our Basic Meringue recipe, which can be adapted to create any number of cute confections. The meringue gets spiked with a light, delicate lemon flavor from either lemon extract or lemon zest; lemon extract will give them more of a tart, citric acid punch, as opposed to the more floral lemon zest. From there, we paint four yellow stripes on the inside of the piping bag, which gives the meringue a lovely two-tone stripe. It's important to paint the food coloring very lightly if you want soft, muted colors. We like to pipe these meringue kisses with a round tip to give them smooth, round sides. Sprinkle them with nonpareils for an extra-special touch.

These meringue drops are light as a cloud and gluten free, making them the perfect sweet to complement any dessert spread. They can be made up to a week ahead of time, minimizing your day-of prep time and making them a perfect, elegant dinner party dessert. You can bet you'll find a bowl of these sunny Lemon Drop Meringues on our Easter table, but they'd also be perfect for a Mother's Day brunch or any warm-weather celebration.