Step 1

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

Step 2

Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. On each piece of parchment paper, trace six 4- to 5-inch circles with a pencil. Flip the parchment paper over so that the meringue will not be sitting directly on the pencil marks.

Step 3

Pour 8 large egg whites into a very clean, large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat at low speed until the egg whites are foamy. Increase speed to medium and gradually pour in 2 cups sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the egg mixture. You now have a meringue. Take care not to overbeat the egg whites, as they can become grainy and dry.

Step 4

Using a rubber spatula, gently transfer the meringue to a clean pastry bag fitted with a large circular or star tip, depending on the look you want to achieve.

Step 5

Starting at the center of each circle, pipe a circle of meringue. When you reach the outer rim of the circle, pipe 1 to 2 additional layers on top of the border. The more you pipe, the deeper each shell will be.

Step 6

Put the baking sheets in the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for 30 additional minutes.

Step 7

Gently peel the meringues off of the parchment. Cool completely and put the meringues in an airtight container.

Step 8

Freeze the meringues if you will not be using them in the next 3 to 4 days.