Snow Puffed Meringues Recipes

SNOW-PUFFED MERINGUES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 225°. Add vanilla and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in confectioners' sugar., Place meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a #1M open star tip. Pipe 1-1/2-in. rosettes onto parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake until firm to the touch, 45-50 minutes. Turn off oven (do not open oven door); leave meringues in oven 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheets., Remove meringues from parchment. Pipe or spread Nutella onto bottoms of half the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

MERINGUE SNOWWOMEN

Steps:

• For the meringue: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/3-inch diameter plain tip and coupler.
• Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a pan of simmering water to make a double boiler. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch (it should read 140 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 4 minutes.
• Put the bowl on the mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on low to cool the mixture for about 30 seconds, then gradually increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture is no longer warm and forms very stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the peppermint extract.
• Fill the pastry bag with the meringue. Working at a 90-degree angle to the baking sheet, pipe and lift the bag to form the base of the snowwoman, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Lift the bag slightly to finish the ball, then pipe another slightly smaller ball on top. Lift slightly again and form one more slightly smaller ball for the head. Continue to pipe, leaving an inch in between, until you have 16 to 18 snowwomen. Wet your finger and gently smooth any sharp points on the heads.
• Bake until the snowwomen are shiny, bright white and dry throughout, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and let the snowwomen cool and continue to dry in the oven, about an hour more.
• For decoration: Melt the semisweet and white chocolate chips in separate bowls in a microwave or double boiler.
• Dip the top of the heads in white chocolate, then add nonpareils to make hats. Dip a small paintbrush in the semisweet chocolate and dot on eyes, eyelashes and buttons. With a separate brush, dab a small bit of the white chocolate between the eyes and stick on an orange sprinkle for a carrot nose.
• Cut the candy belts to make scarves. Wrap the scarves around, using a dab of white chocolate to affix and close the scarves.
• Set 2 pretzel sticks parallel to each other with a space in between, like skis. Attach the skis with a smear of white chocolate on the bottom of a snowwoman and set the snowwoman on top. Repeat with the remaining snowwomen so they're all skiing. Let set. (You can stick them in the refrigerator for a few minutes to hurry this along.)

MERINGUE PUFFS

Steps:

• Beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Add sugar, cream of tartar, and salt; beat until stiff.
• Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
• Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

MERINGUE SNOWMEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and salt, slowly adding 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Continue to whisk until mixture is stiff. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar.
• Transfer meringue to a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch round tip. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe a 3-inch mound of meringue to form a snowman's body. To form the arms, pipe meringue on top of the body in the shape of sideways C (with the curve at the snowman's back). For the head, pipe a 1 1/2-inch mound of meringue on top of the center of the body, inside the curve of the arms. Repeat to form seven more snowmen. Sprinkle snowmen with pearl sugar.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining meringue and a few drops of red food coloring. Transfer to a parchment cone or a small pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip, and pipe a red nose onto each snowman.
• Bake snowmen until the outside is set but the inside is still soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. When cool, pick up the snowmen one by one, and scoop out the insides of the body with a spoon; discard. Return hollow snowmen to oven, and bake until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Watch the snowmen to be sure they remain white; once they are firm (or if they begin to color), remove them from the oven, and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, roll 7 ounces of almond paste to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Using a 3/4-inch-diameter cutter, cut out 8 circles for hats. With a toothpick, pick up each circle, and dip it into melted chocolate. Transfer circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Swirl them slightly as they hit the parchment, spreading the dripping chocolate around to form a brim for each hat. Repeat with remaining hats, and let cool completely. Reserve 1/4 cup of the melted chocolate for decorating.
• In a large bowl, make mousse filling by combining remaining chocolate and heavy cream. Transfer chocolate mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch round tip. Pick up the cooled snowmen, and fill the bodies with mousse. Carefully replace filled snowmen onto parchment.
• Add a few drops of red food coloring to remaining 4 ounces of almond paste; knead until completely combined. Roll to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into eight 8-by-1/2-inch strips to form scarves.
• Place scarves around snowmen's necks, and top heads with cooled hats. Transfer reserved chocolate to a small parchment cone or pastry bag fitted with a #1 tip; pipe eyes, mouths, and buttons on each snowman. Serve immediately.

MERINGUE TEASERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cover cookie sheets with foil.
• Beat egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar until meringue forms stiff peaks. Add food coloring, if using. Add vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop meringue by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Place in preheated oven. Turn oven off. Do not open door for at least 6 hours or overnight.

MERINGUE SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a medium bowl.
• Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
• Draw six 3-1/2-inch circles on each sheet of paper or foil.
• Set aside.
• FOR MERINGUE:
• Add cream of tartar and salt to egg whites.
• Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks forms (tips curl).
• Gradually add the 1/2 cup superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form ( tips stand straight) and sugar is nearly dissolved.
• Transfer meringue to a decorating bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round tip.
• Pipe snowflake shapes on top of circles on paper or foil.
• Sprinkle with the decorating sugar.
• Bake all of the meringues at the same time on separate oven racks for 10 minutes.
• Turn off oven; let meringues dry in oven with door closed for 1 hour.
• Lift meringues off paper or foil.
• Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.
• Makes 12 meringue snowflakes.