Pumpkin Spice Meringue Pumpkins

Ingredients

5 egg whites room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

pinch of Cream of Tartar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

orange and green food coloring

12- inch disposable piping bags

Wilton Tip #22 for pumpkins

Wilton Tip #1 for the stems

Wilton Tip #67 for leaves

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees F. and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment.
In a medium bowl over a pot with an inch of simmering water, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.
Whisk constantly for (7 minutes) until sugar is completely dissolved. You’ll be able to tell when you rub a little of the contents between your thumb and finger and it doesn’t feel granular.
Gently pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
With a whisk attachment or a hand beater, beat on low, gradually increasing to high for (7 minutes) until stiff, shiny peaks are formed.
Place 2/3 cup of the meringue into a mixing bowl and color with green food coloring until desired hue is reached, mixing with a rubber spatula.
Pour the desired amount of orange food coloring into the contents of the mixing bowl and beat until well mixed.
Place the orange meringue into a piping bag fitted with the #22 tip. Create the pumpkins by piping in one place on the parchment and pull up. The meringues will not spread, so can be placed about 1-inch or so apart on the baking sheet.
Place 1/3 of the green food coloring into a piping bag fitted with the Wilton #1 tip to add the stem. Do so by piping a small amount on the top of the pumpkin and pulling over.
Place the remaining 1/3 cup of the green food coloring into the piping bag fitted with the Wilton Tip #67 and pipe a leaf or leaves onto each pumpkin.
Bake for 2 hours.
Turn oven off and allow the pumpkins to remain in the oven for an additional 4 hours to set.
Store covered in an airtight container for up to 4 days.