These sweet meringue cookies take the shape of mushrooms to make the cutest Meringue Mushrooms. Perfect for decorating a Christmas Yule Log Cake, or for any woodland themed dessert.
While I usually think of these cookies as the perfect addition to a Christmas platter, they can be made and eaten all year long!
Now, aren’t these the cutest little cookies? We love meringues, and these Meringue Mushrooms are such a clever and cute way to make them.
Making meringues at home is really quite easy, and even though they have to bake slowly for a longer period of time, they are still easy enough for a beginner to make.
I love it when something is so easy to make and so delicious to eat!
Ingredients
- Egg Whites: You only need the egg whites for this recipe. Have them at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: This will give the meringues flavor.
- Cream of Tartar: The cream of tartar helps to stabilize the egg whites.
- Salt: The salt will help to balance the flavors. You just need a very small amount.
- Sugar: You need granulated sugar. If you have superfine sugar, it will dissolve even better.
- Chocolate Chips: The chocolate chips will be melted and used as the glue to keep the cap and the stem together.
- Cocoa Powder: This is for decorating the meringue mushrooms.
How to Make Meringue Mushrooms
Start by combining your egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. This is easiest to do with a stand mixer. You could use a hand mixer, but it will take more time.
Beat this mixture until the egg whites start to get foamy.
Start adding in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar has been incorporated.
Continue to beat the mixture until you have a thick, marshmallow like consistency. It should hold a stiff peak.
Pipe the stems and the mushroom caps. I make the stems about 1/2-inch wide at the bottom. I make the caps about 1 1/4-inches in diameter. You can make these bigger, if desired.
Bake the meringues in a 200ºF oven for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let them cool completely in the oven.
When you are ready to assemble the mushrooms, use a paring knife to make a small hole in the flat side of the caps.
Dip the tip of a stem in the melted chocolate, and place into the hole. Hold it together until the chocolate has hardened enough to hold. Let the mushrooms dry completely.
Sprinkle with cocoa powder, if desired.
Tips and Tricks
These meringue mushrooms are best made on a dry day. I made three batches of these on three different days, and you could see a difference in each batch depending on the humidity. The more humid it is, the less smooth the cookies will be. You can see the texture on my meringues because of the humidity.
Be patient! These are actually really easy to make, but they will work best if you bake them without opening the oven and let them cool fully in the oven.
You can also spread chocolate across the bottom of the cap and attach a flattened stem that way. It can look more like the gills of the mushroom that way.
I like to add the cocoa powder after the meringues are dry, but you can sift some on before baking them, as well.
Don’t expect perfection! They are will all look different, and they should. No two mushrooms are exactly alike!
Ways to Use Meringue Mushrooms
- These are perfect for decorating a Yule Log Cake.
- Use them to decorate holiday cookie platters.
- If you like to make themed cakes, these mushrooms would be perfect for a woodland themed dessert.
- These cookies are delicious on their own – serve the up in a basket and watch them disappear.
- Looking for an edible April fools joke? Trick your family or friends into thinking they are actual mushrooms.
Meringue Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Dash of salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Turn the mixer to high speed and let it mix until foamy. Once foamy, start adding in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while the mixer is still on. Keep beating until the mixture forms very stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag that is fitted with an Ateco 804 or Wilton 2a tip. (You can do this without a tip by just cutting the corner of the bag, but I find it is much harder to shape the meringues without a tip.) You may also need to do this in batches, depending on how big your piping bag is.
- On the prepared baking sheets, pipe an equal number of stems and mushroom caps. For the stems, the base should be about 1/2” wide and taper up to a point. For the caps, they should be a dome about 1 1/4” in diameter. If there is a point on top of the domes, you can use a wet fingertip to smooth it out. You should get anywhere between 30-45 stems and mushroom caps, depending on the size that you make them.
- Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and cook, without opening the oven, for one hour. Turn off the oven and let them sit, (again, without opening the oven), until they are completely cooled. I like to leave them in the oven overnight, but they should be cool in a couple of hours.
- When ready to assemble, turn all of the caps upside down, so the flat side is up. Use a small paring knife to carefully make a hole in the flat side of each mound.
- Melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Dip the pointed end of a stem into the chocolate, then gently press that into the small hole in the cap. Hold it for a few seconds until the chocolate has set. Place the mushroom back on the baking sheet for the chocolate to continue to harden.
- Once all of the mushrooms are assembled, dust them with cocoa powder.
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