Peppermint Meringue Clouds Recipes

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle with salt and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased foil or paper-lined baking sheets; sprinkle with the crushed candy. , Bake at 225° for 1-1/2 hours. Turn off heat; leave cookies in the oven with the door ajar until cool, for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 175°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in mint extract and salt. Gradually add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spoon half of meringue into medium bowl; add red food color. Beat until well blended.
• In large decorating bag fitted with #827 star tip, place spoonfuls of white and red meringue side by side, alternating colors and working up from tip of bag. Do not mix colors together. Onto cookie sheets, pipe meringue into 1-inch mounds.
• Bake 3 hours or until meringues are dry to the touch. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven with door closed 1 hour. Finish cooling at room temperature, about 45 minutes. Remove meringues from parchment paper. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites, vinegar and salt to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar while continuing to whip until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Fold in 1/3 of the crushed candy canes, reserving the rest. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls, one inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes over the top.
• Bake for 90 minutes in the preheated oven, or until dry. Cool on baking sheets.

MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange two oven racks evenly in the oven.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the sugar in an even layer on the paper. (Leave a small border of paper around the sugar so the sugar doesn?t spill onto the pan.) Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar is almost ready, whisk the egg whites on high speed for 1 minute, until the whites are frothy. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the hot sugar to the egg whites. (I use a large spoon to start and then pick up the paper and pour the sugar in slowly.) Add the vanilla and continue to whisk on high for 10 minutes, until the meringue is at room temperature. It will be very thick and glossy.
• Using two large serving spoons, scoop 12 very large oval dollops of meringue onto two sheet pans lined with parchment paper. You should be able to get 6 meringues on each pan; space them well because they will expand while they bake. Place 3 candied rose petals on top of each meringue. Bake for 2 hours, until the outsides of the meringues are crisp and the centers are still soft. Set aside to cool on baking racks. Allow to sit uncovered and serve at room temperature. (Don?t refrigerate or store covered or they will lose their crispness.)
• Photograph by Ryan Dausch

PINK PEPPERMINT MARSHMALLOW CLOUDS

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper letting the paper overhang on two sides. Dust the paper and pan liberally with the confectioners' sugar.
• Put 1/2 cup cool water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
• Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed, very slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Continue to beat until foamy, about 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the bottom of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the peppermint extract and the pink food coloring and mix again to combine. Spread the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with the crushed candy. Let sit, uncovered, overnight.
• Lift the marshmallow out of the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp, heavy knife sprayed with cooking spray to trim the edges. Cut the marshmallow into 12 pieces, spraying the knife between cuts as needed.
• To store the marshmallows, dust the bottom of an airtight container with confectioners' sugar. Remove the marshmallows from the parchment, place in the container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.

PINK MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Combine everything for the cookie dough; chill while preparing meringue.
• To prepare meringue: Beat egg whites with salt in small bowl until soft mounds (not peaks) form. Gradually add sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form. (Once you get peaks that stand up, stop. You can overbeat meringue.) Fold in vanilla, vinegar, chocolate chips, and crushed candy.
• Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoon. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
• Top each cookie with a rounded teaspoon of meringue. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minute.

MINI PEPPERMINT-MERINGUE CUPS WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Trace 16 circles onto each of 2 pieces of parchment using a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, spacing about 2 inches apart. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, and top each with a sheet of parchment, traced side down.
• Make the meringue cups: Heat egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in peppermint extract.
• Using a small food-safe paintbrush, paint 3 stripes of red food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip. Transfer egg-white mixture to pastry bag; pipe coils to fill each traced circle. Pipe up sides of each to create 3/4- to 1-inch-high cups.
• Bake until meringue cups are crisp but not browned and lift off parchment easily, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer meringue cups to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache: Transfer chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour over chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and cut a small slit in the top. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Stir ganache, and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch open-star tip. Pipe ganache into the center of each meringue cup. Garnish with candy cane.