Meringue snowmen

Preheat the oven to 100°C, gas mark 1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Add in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Add in the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Remove approx. 4 tablespoons of the meringue mixture and place in a bowl. Add a couple of drops of black food colouring and gently mix to make the meringue black. Place in a small piping bag.

Place the remaining meringue in a zip-top bag or piping bag and cut off the tip. Pipe snowmen onto the baking tray. Place an orange sprinkle in the centre of each snowman’s face to form the carrot nose. Using the black meringue, pipe eyes, a mouth and 3 buttons on each snowman.

Bake until firm to the touch, approx. 1 hour. Remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.