Create these gluten free meringue Christmas trees for the holidays. The 'trees' look like snow covered evergreens and are the perfect decorating project. Step by step instructions are available.
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Just like our ombre christmas tree cookies and dairy free sugar cookies, these festive Christmas tree meringues cookies are such a fun holiday treat, especially to make with kids.
What are Meringue Cookies?
Whipped egg whites and sugar are baked on low heat to create light as air cookies that melt in your mouth. They use a French meringue, also known as "uncooked" meringue.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg whites: egg whites can expand to eight times their volume. That's why you may think 5 egg whites isn't enough, but it is! Room temperature eggs provide the best foam, volume and stability.
- Cream of tartar: the acid in this ingredient stabilizes the egg whites and is what gives you the big pillows of fluffy white meringue. It's critical to the recipe because it keeps the protein in the egg whites from sticking together, which ensures a smooth meringue that won't collapse or deflate.
- Vanilla extract: this recipe has minimal ingredients so a good quality vanilla extract will go a long way in the cookies' flavor.
- Granulated sugar: this is your typical white sugar and it has a few jobs! It makes the cookies sweet, but it also helps to stabilize the meringue over time.
Tools Used to Make Meringue Cookies
- Stand mixer with the whisk attachment (but a hand mixer will work too)
- Two Piping bags
- Wilton Open Star Tip 4B
- Wilton No. 3 Round Piping Tip
- Two baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicon baking mats
- Gel green food coloring
- Crystal sprinkles (optional)
How to make Meringue Christmas Trees
Separate and beat the egg whites
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. You can do this by passing the yolk back and forth between two halves of the shell or you can use an egg separator(how cute?!). It's easier to separate egg white when the eggs are cold, but you want the egg whites room temperature to make the meringue. You can separate the egg white then allow them to come to room temp for 30 minutes before whisking.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until the mixture starts to foam and form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla and whisk until combined.
separate the egg whites whip to soft peaks
Slowly add the sugar
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high and slowly add the sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition until all the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Beat for about 4 minutes, until sugar has just dissolved and the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form. You can't over-beat meringue so be sure it's stiff and glossy and there isn't any grain when you rub the meringue between your fingers.
Fill the piping bags
- Cut the tips of two piping bags then place a star and round piping tip in the bottom. Add the piping bags to a tall glass with a round top and fold the tops of the bags over the edges to make it easier to fill.
- Remove 1/4 cup of the meringue and add it to the piping bag with the round tip.
- Add the gel green food coloring to the rest of the meringue and whisk on medium high speed to incorporate. Add more coloring as needed to reach your desired green hue. Use a rubber spatula to fill the other piping bag (with the star tip) all the way up. You may need to refill as you pipe the cookies.
whip to stiff peaks fill the piping bags
Pipe the trees
- Pipe Christmas trees onto the prepared baking sheets with parchment paper 1 inch apart. Make 4 lines next to each other in a row, starting each line from the bottom and piping up. Repeat this with three lines then two on top of that to create tree shapes.
- Use the reserved white meringue to pipe snow caps on the trees in creative ways then sprinkle clear or white sprinkles on the white meringue to make them look more shiny.
pipe 4 lines from the bottom pipe 3 lines in the middle pipe 2 lines on top
Bake and cool
- Bake the meringue christmas trees at 225°F for 1 hour, until they are firm to touch, then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven until they are cool so they dry out completely. A great time to make these cookies is at night then turn them off and leave them in the oven overnight until they are completely cool.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
- Storage: store the baked meringues in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. Avoiding storing them in the fridge.
- Make-Ahead: They last a long time at room temp, so you can make them up to 2 week in advance. You can also store whipped meringue in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
FAQs
How do you know when meringues are done?
You'll know they're done when the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form. When you pull the whisk out of the mixture it will stand up on itself. See the image above!
How long can meringues be stored?
Baked meringues can be store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. It's critical to keep them as dry as possible and avoid adding any moisture, so stay away from storing them in the fridge or freezer.
Does the weather affect making meringue?
A humid day can make it more difficult to whip meringues because we want to limit the amount of moisture in the batter. The goal is to dry them out to light and crisp cookies. Try to avoid making it on a very humid day. Luckily the weather is pretty dry in December when you'll likely be making Christmas cookies.
Should meringue be made with cold eggs or room temp?
Separating eggs is easiest when they are cold, but then let the egg whites come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before making the meringue; this ensures they whip up with maximum volume.
What do I do if my meringue won't stiffen?
The best way to avoid this is to prevent it in the first place by cleaning the bowl and slowly adding sugar to the egg whites. If you find it won't stiffen, continue to whisk and add a bit more cream of tartar. If that doesn't work, pitch it and start over!
How long does meringue batter last in fridge?
Cover the meringue batter tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Expert Tips
- Clean the bowl: even the smallest amount of fat will prevent the egg whites from reaching stiff peaks. I recommend a glass or metal mixing bowl.
- Gradually add sugar: this ensures the sugar gets absorbed into the egg whites and eliminates a gritty texture.
- You can't over beat meringue: when in doubt, whisk it some more. You really can't over-beat it so you're better off continuing to whisk.
- Separate the egg whites individually: I use a small bowl to separate the egg whites into first then I add them one by one to the mixing bowl. You won't have to start all the way over if a little bit of the egg yolk gets mixed in.
- Room temperature eggs: It's easier to separate egg white when the eggs are cold, but you want the egg whites room temperature to make the meringue. You can separate the egg white then allow them to come to room temp for 30 minutes before whisking.
More Christmas desserts
Meringue Christmas Trees
Create these gluten free meringue Christmas trees for the holidays. The 'trees' look like snow covered evergreens and are the perfect decorating project. Step by step instructions are available.
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Servings: 24 trees
Calories: 49kcal
Ingredients
- 5 egg whites room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon green gel food coloring paste or powder work too
- clear sprinkles for snow
Recommended Equipment
- 2 piping bags
- Wilton Open Star Tip 4B Wilton
- No. 3 Round Piping Tip
Instructions
Make the meringue
- Preheat the oven to 225°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make sure your bowl and whisk are completely clean and the egg whites don’t have any egg yolk in them. Any small amount of fat will affect the results of the meringue.
- If you haven't already, separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. You can do this by passing the yolk back and forth between two halves. It's easier to separate egg white when the eggs are cold, but you want the egg whites room temperature to make the meringue. You can separate the egg white then allow them to come to room temp for 30 minutes before whisking.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until the mixture starts to foam and forms soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high and continue to whisk as you slowly add the sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition until all the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Once all of the sugar has been added, beat until sugar has just dissolved and the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. You can't over-beat meringue so be sure it's stiff and glossy and there isn't any grain when you rub the meringue between your fingers.
Pipe the trees
- Cut the tips of two piping bags then place a star and round piping tip in the bottom of each. Add the piping bags to a tall glass with a round top and fold the tops of the bags over the edges to make it easier to fill.
- Remove 1/4 cup of the meringue and add it to the piping bag with the round tip. Add the gel green food coloring to the rest of the meringue and whisk on medium high speed until the coloring is completely incorporated. Squeeze more coloring in as needed to reach your desired green hue. Use a rubber spatula to fill the other piping bag (with the star tip) all the way up. You may need to refill as you pipe the cookies.
- Pipe Christmas trees onto the prepared baking sheets with parchment paper 1 inch apart. Make 4 lines next to each other in a row, starting each line from the bottom and piping up. Repeat this with three lines then two on top of that to create tree shapes.
- Use the reserved white meringue to pipe snow caps on the trees in creative ways then sprinkle clear or white sprinkles on the white meringue to make them look more shiny.
Bake
- Bake the meringue for 1 hour, until they are firm to touch, then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven until they are cool so they dry out completely. A great time to make these cookies is at night then turn them off and leave them in the oven overnight until they are completely cool.
- As soon as the meringue is cool, transfer the cookies to an airtight container to avoid adding any extra moisture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.6g | Protein: 0.7g | Sodium: 11.6mg | Sugar: 12.5g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @What_MollyMade or tag #whatmollymade!
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