• Preheat the oven to 200F (1750F convection oven). 

Meringue

• In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites (carefully separated from yolks to ensure no oily residue).
• Add the cream or tartar and salt to the bowl. Begin mixing on low. Once frothy, gradually increase the speed to high and begin slowly adding in the sugar (1 tablespoon at a time)
• After all of the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla. 
• Continue whipping on high speed until stiff peaks form. Occasionally check the mixture by rubbing some between your fingers to ensure no grainy sugar (undisolved) remains. If it remains, continue mixing!
• Transfer to a piping bag fit with the piping tip of your choice or simply cut the tip off to create a round opening. 
• Add small dollops of meringue to the corners of your baking sheet (note: this prevents the parchment paper from sliding).
• Pipe small 2" meringue mounds - half that are rounds, and half as flatter disks - allowing at least an inch of space between each meringue (note: when I was making this recipe for the first time, I used meringues that were all the same size and it still worked well!).
• Bake the meringues on the centre rack of the oven, at 200F for approx. 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside for an extra 1-2 hours to allow for continued drying. Once done, begin preparing your sweetened whipped cream.

Sweetened whipped Cream

• In a large bowl, whip chilled heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form (note: this can be done in a hand mixer or by hand with a whisk). Set aside.

Assembly

• Separate your meringue disks (bottom layers) from your mounds (top layers).
• On top of your meringue disk, pipe 1-2 tsp of whipped cream, and then top with a meringue mound to form a stack.
• Continue to cover the entire stack with a thin layer of whipped cream. Place covered meringue stack onto a plate/tray. Continue with the rest of the meringues.
• Once done, place all the meringue stacks in the freezer for 15-20 minutes (note: this makes coating easier).
• While your meringues are cooling, use a vegetable peeler or a grater to shred your chocolate (note: if you have leftover meringue, you can also crush meringue cookies into fine pieces as a topping). Place your topping on a flat tray.
• Remove your meringue cookies from the freezer and immediately roll into shredded chocolate or meringue cookie crumbs.
• Continue until all meringue stacks are covered to make Mini Meringue Cakes.
• Your elegant treats are best enjoyed after they rest in the fridge overnight and are served the following day.
• Enjoy!