Wintertime Baked Snowballs

These cupcakes are beyond fun to make.
Meringue-topped ice-cream treats are pure magic.
they stay frozen even while baking in a hot oven.

Ingredients:
12 vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies
or six 1/2-inch-thick slices of your favorite cake
6 scoops of your favorite ice cream
3 egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and Maraschino cherries

Directions:
Break each cookie or slice of cake into several small pieces
and divide them evenly among six 3-inch ramekins,
pressing them into the bottom of each.
Fill each ramekin with ice cream,
using the back of a spoon to smooth it level at the top.
Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet in the freezer
while you prepare the snow (meringue).

Heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the egg whites in a medium-size bowl
and whip them with an electric beater set at
medium-high speed until they resemble soap bubbles.
Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form
While you continue beating, add the sugar 1 tablespoon
at a time and then the vanilla extract.
Continue beating until shiny,
stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the freezer and spread
the snow meringue over the top of each with a spatula,
taking care to completely cover the ice cream.
Bake the snowballs on the cookie sheet
until the tops are golden brown, about 1 to 3 minutes.
Watch them carefully; they brown quickly.
Garnish the snowballs with chocolate syrup,
sprinkles, and cherries, and serve.