Christmas Tree Meringues
Aren’t these Christmas tree meringues super cute?!
They would look perfect as a cake or cupcake topper, as a fun homemade gift or even as a simple festive dessert.
Making meringue is so easy, you only need a few ingredients and no special piping skills. Just follow these basic rules:
- Make sure that your mixing bowl and whisk are clean, grease-free and dry. Grease prevents the egg whites from whipping up properly. Use a stainless steel, copper, or glass bowl (avoid plastic bowls).
- Cream of tartar is optional but I recommend it as it helps in stabilizing the meringue.
- Bake the meringues at 90 degrees C (194 degrees F) for 2 hours! To determine when a meringue is done, lift it off the baking sheet. If it can be easily released from the tray, it’s ready. If not, continue baking checking every few minutes.
- Store them in an airtight container at room temperature (away from any heat or moisture) for up to two weeks or freeze them for up to a month
I colored the Christmas tree meringues with Wilton Kelly Green concentrated gel, but any green will work. To pipe them, I used a large Wilton star tip (1M). Pipe them as tall and as wide as you’d like, mine are about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) wide and 5 cm (2 inches) tall.
Decorate your trees, with powdered sugar to resemble snow, shimmer dust, sprinkles, stars or whatever you prefer.
I’d love to hear what you think if you give it a try! Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #aseasyasapplepie on Instagram!
How To Make It: Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites cold from the fridge
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract or any flavoring you prefer
- green gel food coloring
- Optional: rolos, powdered sugar, stars or mini M&M’s
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 194°F (90°C).
- Place the sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Constantly whisk the egg whites until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into a clean bowl of a stand mixer, and add the peppermint extract. Using the whisk attachment, mix on medium high speed until the egg whites become white but still runny. Add the food coloring and continue to beat on high speed (I had my Kitchen Aid at about 7) until the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks.
- Place into a piping bag with large star tip and pipe the meringues into tree shapes, directly onto the parchment paper.
- Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar for the meringues to cool down.
- When you’re ready to serve the Christmas tree meringues, top with a star or a mini M&M’s, place Rolos down as tree stumps, put the trees on top and gently sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature (away from any heat or moisture) for up to two weeks. Alternatively, store them in the freezer for up to a month.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
I use DEB-EL powdered egg whites. Mainly because I prefer my meringues a little squigly, and crunchy on the outside.