
Move over cupcakes, meringues are making a big statement on the dessert front. Similar to the macaron, these fat-free little confections are perfect for sticking to those healthy eating resolutions. Meringues can be dipped in chocolate, combined with fresh fruit or made into a gorgeous cream-filled dessert like a pavlova. Here we have recipes of the most delicious meringue desserts!
1. Pistachio Pavlova with Poached Kumquats: A delicate meringue flavored with pistachios and topped with lemon curd and candied kumquats will be a colorful dessert to brighten up your next dinner! (via Canelle et Vanille)
2. Chocolate Swirl Meringue Cookies: Whip up some egg whites, swirl in some chocolate and you get these gorgeous little cookies. It doesn’t get much better than that. (via Baker’s Royale)
3. Pavlova With Rose Water Whipped Cream: If you are craving some spring and the weather will not cooperate, try this airy dessert with a hint of floral that feels light yet decadent at the same time. (via A Beautiful Mess)
4. Honeycomb, Chocolate and Almond Pavlova: Adding chocolate to meringue results in a chewier texture and a thinner disc which means you can add three tiers. The honeycomb is an unexpected flavor and the perfect accent to the chocolate and almonds. (via What Katie Ate)
5. Cherry Pavlova: If stacking layers sounds intimidating, then this is the meringue dessert for you. Part of the magic of meringue is that you can sculpt it into just about any form you want, including a pretty bowl that you can fill with cream, fruit and chocolate shavings. (via Call Me Cupcake)
6. Coffee Meringue Ice Cream Cake: What is it about ice cream cake that brings out the kid in us? Here is a more adult version where the sugary airiness of the meringue perfectly contrasts the richness of coffee ice cream. (via Martha Stewart)
7. Pink Swirl Meringues with Pomegranate Syrup: The pink pomegranate syrup swirling through these white clouds of meringue has us dreaming of afternoons in Paris. Top with piles of whipped cream and fresh pomegranate seeds for an adventure in texture. (via Drizzle and Dip)
8. Mascarpone Meringue Cake: Melt-in-your-mouth layers of buttercream, toasted meringue, chocolate ganache and the incredible richness of mascarpone make this black-and-white “cake” pure decadence. (via Sweetapolita)
9. Orange Blossom Meringues With Dark Chocolate Swirl: Thanks to the orange blossom water, when you bake these meringues the whole kitchen will be filled with the wonderful fragrance of orange and melted chocolate. (via Hummingbird High)
10. Raspberry Meringue Sandwiches With Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling: These meringue flowers are breathtaking and perfect for spring. It might take a little practice with a piping tip to get these perfect roses right, but the end result is absolutely worth the effort. (via Baking a Moment)
11. Rose Water Meringue Kisses: Meringues don’t have to be a big fancy dessert. Sometimes simple is better, like these little rose water kisses that you could enjoy plain or stuck together with chocolate ganache to make little meringue sandwiches. (via Cooking Melangery)
12. Nutella Meringues: How is it possible that one ingredient can make any recipe instantly perfect? Fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth meringue with thick swirls of Nutella. Perfection. (via Cream Puffs in Venice)
13. Raspberry Meringue Torte: Paired with a berry mousse and tart apricot filling, these little individual desserts are heavenly and a breeze to put together. (via Hostess with the Mostess)
14. Banoffee Pavlova: On the richer end of desserts, this pavlova is inspired by the classic English banoffee pie and pulls together vanilla meringue, dulce de leche, fresh bananas and whipped cream into a sweet concoction. (via Coco e Baunilha)
15. Meyer Lemon, Berry, Thyme and Yogurt Pavlova: If you are craving citrus, this refreshing dessert combines a variety of bright flavors: fresh berries and thyme, rich lemon curd and tart Greek yogurt on a bed of airy vanilla meringue. (via La Peche Fraiche)
16. Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Pavlova: No recipe roundup would be complete without a drizzle of salted chocolate; the light meringue and mascarpone filling is a nice contrast to the richness of salted caramel. (via Little Artisan Kitchen)
17. Chocolate-Dipped Cherry Meringues: Flavored with maraschino cherry juice, each of these meringue bites is dipped in dark chocolate for a special little treat. (via Lemons for Lulu)
18. Double Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova: Raspberry and chocolate are one of those made-in-heaven flavor combinations. Chocolate meringue discs stacked with whipped cream and fresh raspberries are sure to satisfy any fruit deficiency you’ve been suffering this winter. (via What Katie Ate)
19. Cotton Candy Meringues: A little on the unusual side, these cotton candy meringues are given taste using frosting flavor mix, which will turn them a lovely pastel blue! (via Cookies and Cups)
Do any of these recipes inspire you to whip up some meringue? Let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures