1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

3. Place egg whites and salt in the stand mixer and mix at medium speed until frothy.

4. Add cream of tartar and mix at medium high speed. 

5. Beat in sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. Tip: this step is very important, do not add all the sugar at one  time, add it in slowly. 

6. Add in vanilla extract and mix.

The meringue will start to become stiff with peaks. To check if it is ready, roll a pinch of the  meringue between your thumb and finger and feel for any gritty sugar. If there is any present,  continue to beat the meringue until it is gone.

7. Add several drops of green gel coloring until you reach the desired Grinch-like color.

8. Prep the pastry bag by snipping the end and inserting a piping tip. Fold the pastry bag over and place inside of a glass or jar. Fill the bag with the green meringue.

9. Squeeze out any air bubbles and twist the top of the bag.

10. Hold the pastry bag straight up and down on the pastry sheet and squeeze a small amount to  secure the sucker stick. Place these at least 2” apart for small meringue pops or 3” for larger.

11. To  make the pops, start to squeeze the pastry bag and swirl it around from the center in a circular motion, gently pulling away when you have reached your desired size. 

12. To create simple meringues without sucker sticks or smaller pops, hold the pastry bag straight up and down, squeezing and pulling up to create peaks.

Tip: meringues don't spread however, you don't want to place them too close as they need proper air flow during baking and dry time.

13. Bake for 1 hour and let stand in the cool oven to dry 2 hours or over night. 

14. For decorating melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Use a  toothpick to dab a small amount onto the dried meringues. Quickly place a candy heart on top of the dot of white chocolate.

These will keep for a few days and are pretty good frozen. Store them in a non humid area as they will absorb the moisture and be less crisp...but still delicious!