Kiss Cakes

Make about 46 cakes.

This recipe is adapted from "The Carolina Housewife" by Sarah Rutledge (1847).

6 egg whites
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rose water (see note)
About 1/2 cup fruit jam

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth, 2 minutes, then very slowly add the sugar and rose water, beating hard until soft peaks form with a glossy sheen, 3 to 5 minutes.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the sugar mixture and carefully pipe 11/2-inch circles on the baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.

Bake until lightly browned, 35 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the cakes sit for 45 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully remove the cakes from the parchment paper.

Spread the flat side of 1 cake with about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam, then press the flat side of another cake against it, making a ball-shaped morsel. Repeat with the remaining cakes and jam.

NOTE: Rose water is sold at Indian markets and some specialty markets.

Calories per cake: 33; Protein: 1 gram; Total fat: 0; Cholesterol: 0; Sodium: 10 mg; Carbohydrate: 8 grams; Dietary fiber: 0.04 gram