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These meringue mushrooms are highly prizedon Christmas cookie platters and are darling for decorating holiday cakes such as yule logs (stay tuned for my next recipe – eek eek so excited)! Meringue mushroom cookies take some time to dry out in the oven but otherwise, they are easy to make. And they can be made a few days in advance!
No need to strive for perfection here. It’s best if they are imperfect because lets face it, mushrooms are all uniqueand their imperfections will make them look more natural. This recipe yields30-35 meringue mushrooms.
As with any meringue recipe, it works best on a dry day, stored at room temp,and not in a humid climate. Also, the cream of tartar is important and stabilizes the egg whites so the cookies don’t turn out hollow.
They aren’t the same without cream of tartar. It’s an inexpensive ingredient that makes a big difference in meringue recipes.
Ingredients for Meringue Mushrooms
2 large egg whites, room temp (if you forgot, put themin warm water for 15 min)
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Tools You’ll Need for Meringue Mushrooms:
A large cookie sheet
Parchment Paper
Wilton 2A tip with a piping bag (or use abig ziploc bag and a 3/8″ round hole cut in the corner, it just won’t beas easy to pipe).
Bakers tip: organic granulated sugar does not work well in this recipe because it’s too coarse. I’ve tried it and it sucks.
How to Make Meringue Mushrooms:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 200° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (not wax paper).
1. Add 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cream of tartar and beat with whisk attachment on high speed 7 min or until you have glossy ribbons and the peaks stay fairly stiff (cold whites take longer).
2. Transfer meringue to pastry bag fitted with a 3/8″ round tip and pipe onto linedcookie sheet (about 1″ apart). Mushroom capsshould look like large chocolate kisses (1 1/2″ diameter at the base) with the tip swirledinto the side so you get an even top. If you’re a perfectionist; you can smooth the mushroom caps with a wet fingertip.Mushroom stemsshould look like slimmer/taller kisses (3/4″ diameter at the base) andtips pointed up. It’s ok if stemscurve a little – gives more character to the mushrooms but too much curve and mushroomswill fall over.
3. Bake at 200˚F for 1 hour 30 min. They should slide easily off the parchment paper easily when they are done. Remove from oven and pull the parchment paper off the baking sheet . Letcool on the paper completely to room temp. Note: When they come out of the oven, they will be crisp on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside, but will harden as they cool.
4. To assemble, dust the tops and stemslightly with cocoa powder. If you like, you cansmudge the cocoa powder with your fingers to give them that natural dirty glow :). It’s easiest to addthe cocoa powder before assembling.Rotate the tip ofa small paring knife in the center of eachmushroom cap to cut a small hole just large enough to fit the tip of the base.
5. Now melt chocolate, transfer into a ziploc bag, snip off a tiny hole from the cornerof the bag andpipe chocolate into the holes of meringue. Stick the bases into the holes and leave them upside-down until chocolate hardens and sets. Gently transfer set cookies to anairtight container and store for several days at room temp. Do not refrigerate.
Meringue Mushrooms Recipe
5 from 34 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
These meringue mushrooms are highly prized on Christmas cookie platters and are darling for decorating holiday cakes such as yule logs They can be made a few days in advance!
Prep Time: 45 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Ingredients
Servings: 30 to 35 cookies
For the Meringue Mushrooms:
- 2 large egg whites, room temp (if you forgot, put them in warm water for 15 min)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Tools you'll need:
- A large cookie sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Wilton 2A tip with a piping bag, or use a big ziploc bag and a 3/8″ round hole cut in the corner, it just won't be as easy to pipe.
Instructions
Prep: Preheat Oven to 200° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (not wax paper).
Add 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cream of tartar and beat with whisk attachment on high speed 7 min or until you have glossy ribbons and the peaks stay fairly stiff.
Transfer meringue to your pastry bag fitted with a 3/8" round tip and pipe onto lined cookie sheet (about 1″ apart). Mushroom caps should look like large chocolate kisses (1 1/2" diameter at the base) with the tip swirled into the side so you get an even top. If you're a perfectionist; you can smooth the mushroom caps with a wet fingertip. Mushroom stems should look like slimmer/taller kisses (3/4" diameter at the base) and tips pointed up.
Bake at 200˚F for 1 hour 30 min. They should slide easily off the parchment paper easily when they are done. Remove from oven and pull parchment paper off the baking sheet. Let cool on paper completely to room temp. Note: When they come out of the oven, they will be crisp on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside, but will harden as they cool.
To assemble, dust the tops and stems lightly with cocoa powder. If you like, you can smudge the cocoa powder with your fingers to give them that natural dirty glow :). Rotate the tip of a small paring knife in the center of each mushroom cap to cut a small hole just large enough to fit the tip of the base.
Now melt chocolate, transfer into a ziploc bag, snip off a tiny hole from the corner of the bag and pipe chocolate into the holes of meringue. Stick the bases into the holes and leave them upside-down until chocolate hardens and sets. Gently transfer set cookies to an airtight container and store for several days at room temp. Do not refrigerate.
Notes
As with any meringue recipe, it works best on a dry day, stored at room temp, and not in a humid climate.
Cream of tartar is important and stabilizes egg whites so the cookies don't turn out hollow.
Organic granulated sugar does not work well in this recipe because it's too coarse.
- Full Nutrition Label
- Nutrition Disclosure
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meringue mushrooms, mushroom cookies
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hello darlings! ?The cake that I made with these though – can’t wait to share it with y’all!! If you are subscribed to my weekly newsletter you got a sneak peak allready, if you’re not subscribed, you can become a Natasha’s Kitchen insider here.
Merry Merry Christmas my friends!
Natasha Kravchuk
