Creamy Strawberry Mini Meringues

Preheat the oven to 120°C. Line two baking trays with a sheet of non-stick baking paper.

Before you start, make sure the large mixing bowl and the whisk heads are perfectly clean and free from any traces of grease, otherwise the egg whites won't whisk properly. Also ensure there are no bits of yolk in the egg whites. Place the egg whites in the large mixing bowl and whisk, using an electric whisk on high speed for 1-2 minutes until stiff.

Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking between each addition and whisking on high speed for 1-2 minutes. The meringue mixture should form stiff peaks.

Use a teaspoon to place 36 dollops (about 3cm in diameter) on the two lined baking trays, leaving space between each. You don't need to smooth or spread the meringues; a rough swirled surface with small peaks will be perfect. You can pipe the meringue using a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle instead, if you prefer.

Place in the preheated oven for 1 hour, until the meringues are crisp on the outside and have a chewy centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes.

Mix together the cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla essence until smooth.

Spread 1/2 tsp of the creamy filling on the bases of two meringues. Add a strawberry slice to one, then sandwich the two meringues together. Repeat until all meringues are sandwiched together to make 18 complete meringues.

Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Serve at once and enjoy!