Brown Sugar Kisses

Since I am trying to watch what I eat I picked up the cookbook Cook Yourself Thin Faster by Lauren Deen. There are some good looking recipes that I haven't had a chance to try yet but I'm really looking forward to trying them. There is one recipe, however, that caught my eye. It's a recipe for Brown Sugar Kisses. The best part about this recipe is that each kiss is....get this....only 15 calories! That's right! 15 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, 12mg sodium, 18mg potassium, 4g carbs, and 1/2g protein. With numbers like that you don't have to feel guilty when you pop 3 of these yummy treats in your mouth. And this would be something really fun to make with your kids. You can put the meringue in a small plastic bag and snip off the end and give them their own baking sheet and let them make their own meringues. They might look a little funny but they'll taste yummy and the kids will have fun baking with you.

Brown Sugar Kisses

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 c light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (I used wax paper)

Using either a stand mixer or handheld mixer put the egg whites and salt in a bowl and mix on high speed until soft peaks form. Once the peaks have formed add the brown sugar a little at a time while beating until the meringue is stiff and shiny. About 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Fill a pastry bag or a large plastic baggie that has the end snipped off with the meringue and squeeze the meringue onto the sheet to form kisses.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then turn the oven off and keep the door ajar. Let cool in the oven for an hour.

Store them in a tin or wrap loosely in tin foil; do not store in plastic wrap or glass or the kisses will become soggy.

I know this recipe has a long baking and cooling time but they take only 10-12 to put together. This is a great recipe to make on a day when the weather keeps you indoors or when you have a lot of cleaning to do. You'll have a yummy treat waiting for you once your house is sparkly clean. :-)