Lemony Easter chicks

• medium egg whites↗2
• golden caster sugar↗100g g
• cornflour↗½ tsp tsp
• grated zest 1/2 lemon

  plus 1 tsp juice

• yellow food colouring↗

  paste

• orange, black and yellow icing pen↗

  to decorate

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and put a medium-sized plain nozzle on a piping bag.

2. 2

   In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are very stiff. Add half the sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture is becoming firm and shiny.

3. 3

   Stir the cornflour into the remaining sugar and add to the meringue, along with the lemon zest and juice, and a smidge of yellow food colouring paste. Whisk again until you have a very thick, firm and glossy pale yellow meringue.

4. 4

   Carefully spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Push any air out of the top and tightly twist the opening to seal. Pipe about 25 thumb-sized dollops onto your baking sheet – if possible, try to make them wider at the base than the top, resembling a chick’s body and head. Leave a gap between each chick to allow for expanding when cooking.

5. 5

   Cook in the oven for 30 mins until they are crisp, firm and come off the baking parchment easily. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

6. 6

   To decorate, use the orange icing pen to make a V-shaped beak, and a black icing pen for eyes and feet. The yellow icing pen can be used to decorate fluffy hair on the chick’s head and/or wings. Will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.