1. preheat oven to 200ºF.
2. fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.
3. in a bowl or any other container that you have placed over the simmering saucepan to allow a slow even heat, whisk the egg whites and sugar. at this point, you don't have to beat it too briskly, just enough to break up the egg whites and up until the temperature reaches 140ºF.
4. remove from heat and at the lowest speed on your mixer, beat the meringue until it starts to foam and then take it to the next higher setting. continue to gradually increase the speed until you are at the maximum and continue to beat until it forms stiff peaks. the meringue will look very glossy and the peaks are stiff enough that they stand on their own and don't droop downwards.
5. now, working as quickly as you can while the meringue is still set, fill up your pastry bag, halfway, and pipe those babies into golf-ball sized mounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.
OR,
alternatively, you can also spoon them with two teaspoons and drop them onto the cookie sheet. these will be more quirky looking, expressive meringues.
6. bake for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until they are dried out. Break one open and the inside should be dry. to ensure that they are completely dry, turn off the oven, crack open the door and allow the meringues to cool down.
