Description
A recipe for making delicate, festive Meringue Christmas Trees, perfect for holiday decorating.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Green gel food coloring
- Assorted sprinkles (star sprinkles, nonpareils, small edible pearls, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a very clean, dry bowl (preferably metal or glass), combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating continuously on high speed. Continue beating until the meringue is glossy, thick, and stiff peaks form (when you lift the beaters, the peak holds its shape).
- Beat in the vanilla extract. Add a few drops of green gel food coloring and beat until the desired shade of green is achieved.
- Fit a piping bag with a star tip (such as Wilton 1M or 21). Fill the bag with the green meringue.
- Pipe Christmas tree shapes onto the prepared baking sheets. Start with a wider base and gradually make smaller swirls as you go up, forming a cone shape. You can make them varying sizes.
- Immediately decorate the piped meringue trees with sprinkles to resemble ornaments.
- Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp. They should lift easily from the parchment paper. If they feel soft or sticky, continue baking for a bit longer.
- Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside with the oven door ajar for another 30 minutes to 1 hour to cool slowly and completely dry out. This helps prevent cracking.
- Store cooled meringues in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Ensure the bowl and beaters are completely clean and free of any grease, as this will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.
- Meringues bake at a very low temperature to dry them out rather than cook them.
- Cooling them slowly in the turned-off oven helps prevent the meringues from cracking due to rapid temperature change.