Meringue suckers add a pop(sicle) of colour and are really easy to make

Serves 24

INGREDIENTS

• 4 egg whites
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• food colouring
• white lollipop sticks
• coloured sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl of an electric mixer add the egg whites and sugar. Place over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Remove the bowl from the heat and place it on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the mixture on high speed until it has cooled and tripled in volume. Whisk in a few drops of desired food colouring until fully incorporated.
3. Remove the meringue from the mixer. Spoon into a disposable piping bag that is fitted with a star tip (any size you desire but preferably No. 6 or 7).
4. Place the lollipop sticks, evenly spaced 3 inches apart, on the parchmentlined trays. Pipe the meringue discs starting from the centre out, taking cake to pipe over the lollipop sticks a bit to ensure the meringue will hold them once they bake. Top the meringues with the coloured sprinkles.
5. Bake the meringues in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. Once the meringues are baked they should be set with very little colour. Let them cool completely before removing from the parchment paper.

Success has tasted very sweet for Allyson Bobbitt and Sarah Bell, who opened their Toronto pastry shop, Bobbette & Belle, more than four years ago in Leslieville. They just opened a second location in the Yonge and Lawrence area. “We have the goal of providing customers with sweets that have a nostalgic taste and feel, but take that experience to the next level,” says Sarah, who was formerly the head pastry chef for Canoe. That includes its cute open-air shops, which are decorated with fine china on the walls and Parisian-style furniture. “Every element in the shop, from the pastry to the smallest décor details, are selected by us and truly represent what we love,” says Allyson. In fact, many of the shop’s most decadent morsels have been handed down from Allyson’s Nana, including melt-in-your-mouth shortbread and scones.