Protein-Meringue Puffs

Within just a few minutes of posting a mention of these puffs on Facebook, I had several requests for the recipe. Here goes:

1 VPX ZeroImpact High Protein Meal Replacement Bar (I chose Pumpkin Supreme)

4 egg whites or 1/4 c. liquid egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla (or almond) extract

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 c sucralose (I used Splenda)

1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

Let the egg whites sit at room temp for about 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Unwrap the VPX protein bar & cut into 16 squares. Gently roll into 16 balls.

Combine poppy seeds with sucralose.

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar to soft peaks (tips curl). Add sucralose-poppy seed mixture 1 tsp at a time until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight) and sucralose is nearly dissolved (about 7 minutes).

Spoon the meringue in teaspoonfuls on the parchment paper and create a dent in the center of each. Place one ball of the protein bar in the dent of each meringue shell. Cover the protein balls completely with the remaining meringue (this will prevent them from drying in the oven).

Bake puffs for 35 minutes. Turn off oven and allow the puffs to remain in the oven, door closed, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow the puffs to cool on a wire rack; cool completely.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Profile (approximately): Calories 36, Total Fat 2g, Total Carbs 2g, Protein 2.5g