Christmas Meringue Cookies
These meringue Christmas Trees are a festive edible decoration ideal for holiday dessert tables, cookie exchanges, and gifting. Swiss meringue produces a silky, stable mixture that can be piped into a 3D shape while maintaining definition making it ideal for Christmas tree shapes. Sprinkles and edible stars provide the finishing touches to add a little Christmas sparkle. If you're looking for a holiday treat that stands out, these Christmas tree meringues are the perfect addition to your seasonal baking lineup.
Equipment
- 1 Measuring Spoons
- 1 Measuring Cups
- 1 Instant Read Thermometer
- 1 Stand Mixer with bowl or hand mixer with large mixing bowl
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Piping bag with large star tip
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites 120g (room temperature)
- ½ cup + 3 tbsp sugar 140g
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Green Gel Food Coloring
Instructions
Making the Swiss Meringue
- In a clean large mixing bowl combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Place over a double boiler, so that the water is gently simmering away, and not directly touching the mixing bowl.
- Heat the ingredients in the mixing bowl with constant gentle whisking. Use an instant read thermometer to bring the mixture to 170F. Once at temperature, remove from the heat and if necessary, transfer the mixture into a clean mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Or it can stay in the bowl if you are using a hand mixer.
- Whip the eggs on high speed. After the mixture is starting to increase in volume, pour in the vanilla (after about a minute). Keep whipping until the mixture is thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks. This took my mixer about 3 minutes total.
- Add the food coloring gel and mix in with the mixer for a few seconds.
Piping the Christmas Tree Meringues
- Add the colored meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- With the piping bag completely vertical over the parchment paper, pipe a disc shape approximately 1.5” in diameter. Gently lift the piping tip vertically but keep it attached to the meringue tree and begin piping the next level. Stop when it has a suitable diameter that is still smaller than the disc below. Again, keep the tip touching the meringue but lift slightly and pipe the top section. Now you can release the tip from the meringue in a vertical fashion.
- Sprinkle the trees with Christmas sprinkles of your choosing and top each one with a star sprinkle if you have them.
Baking the Christmas Meringue Cookies
- Place the baking sheet of meringue trees into the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes turn the heat down to 200 degrees F and set the timer for 1 hour 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, check the meringues to see that they come off of the parchment easily. If they are still moist and sticking give them a little more time in the oven. Once they are dry enough, turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside with the door closed.
- Remove the meringues from the oven once it is completely cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If they begin to get sticky from humidity, you can place them into a 200F oven for 10 minutes or so.
Notes
- When whipping egg whites it is important to make sure there is no oil residue in the bowl or on the wire whisk/beaters. If necessary wipe all the equipment clean with a paper towel, or wash everything thoroughly with soap and water and dry.
- When heating up the egg white mixture, you don't want to cook the egg whites, only heat them to 170F. A double boiler is a gentle way to do this, but you will need to gently whisk continuously to distribute the heat.
- When coloring the meringue it is best to use a gel food coloring. Gel food colors are more concentrated therefore they won't thin down the meringue and they produce more vibrant colors.
- During storage, humidity in the air can make the meringue become a bit sticky. 10 minutes in a 200F oven should dry them out again.