Espiros

This is an old Portuguese recipe that my Vovo taught me how to make. It is great for the typical huge Portuguese family party or reunion, it is a very light meringue cookie, it is very simple, but I insist that you use an electric egg beater. This is very sweet, and has a hint of citrus flavor to it. If you don't use an electric egg beater, it will take you hours to prepare it!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 75 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups white sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 12 large egg whites

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, salt, orange juice and sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until it is extremely thick. If you have a whisk attachment, it will work well for this. To test if the mixture is ready, shake the bowl. If the meringue barely moves, or doesn't move at all, it is ready. If not, keep on mixing. Spoon evenly sized mounds of the meringue, about 1 tablespoon, onto the prepared baking sheets.

Step 3

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are light brown all the way around. Handle them very gently, they are delicate. Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Remove to a large platter, and serve them to your big Portuguese family.