Meringue Christmas Trees
These adorable meringue Christmas trees are delicious and easy to make. Perfect for fun and festive holiday baking!
Servings 16 meringue trees, approximately
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (about 76g)
- ¼ teaspoon white vinegar (+ extra to clean equipment)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup superfine sugar (152g) (see step 4 under "Before You Start" in the Instructions below to make your own)
- edible glitter or sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 212℉ / 100℃.
- Wipe the bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar (don't worry, nothing will smell or taste like vinegar in the end).
- Weigh the egg whites and use double the weight of the egg whites in sugar. For example, my egg whites weighed 76 grams, so I used 152 grams of superfine sugar, which is about ¾ cups.2 egg whites (about 76g), ¾ cup superfine sugar (152g)
- How to make your own superfine sugar: Pulse 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor until it's finer, but NOT powdered sugar and then pour it into a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining sugar. (By pulsing the sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, you can monitor how fine the sugar gets without becoming powdered). Set it aside.
Make The Meringues
- Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. You could use a hand mixer, but it will take longer.
- Start with the whisk on low speed and after a few seconds when you see bubbles, increase the speed to medium and add the salt and the vinegar.pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon white vinegar
- Gradually increase the speed to high until it looks soapy and there are soft peaks.
- Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time while still beating.
- Add the vanilla and beat until it gets thick and glossy and there are stiff peaks, about 8 minutes more. It will be thick and marshmallowy.½ teaspoon vanilla
- If you want to color meringues, I suggest using gel food coloring. Add a very tiny amount with a toothpick. Use the whisk attachment to mix it in evenly.
Pipe Christmas Trees & Bake
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large French star tip and pipe a blob under the parchment paper in each corner of the baking sheet. Then press the parchment paper on top, so it sticks. This will prevent the paper from moving around.
- Hold the piping bag completely vertical and straight and pipe a big blog. Without pulling away completely, gently pull up and pipe a smaller blob, then pull up a little bit again and pipe a really small blob. Then pull the piping bag away.
- Don't make the trees too high, because they'll droop.
- Add edible glitter or sprinkles, if using.edible glitter or sprinkles (optional)
- Bake for one hour for meringues that are soft and mallowy inside, or 90 minutes for really crunchy meringues. The longer you bake them, the crunchier they get.
- After the time is up, turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside for at least one hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME.
- The meringues are done when they are dried throughout and you can easily pull off a tree from the parchment paper. It should be hard outside, not sticky.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store these Christmas meringue cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Tips for Perfect Meringues
- Avoid baking meringues on humid days, as they can absorb moisture and become sticky.
- Clean Equipment Thoroughly. Make sure bowls and utensils are grease-free; even a trace can prevent proper whipping. Cleaning with vinegar works well and won’t affect the flavor.
- Separate Eggs Carefully. Crack each egg into a small bowl first to avoid contaminating the batch if a yolk breaks.
- Use Superfine Sugar. Superfine sugar dissolves better for smooth meringues. If unavailable, pulse regular sugar in a food processor until finer, but not powdered.
- Add Sugar Gradually. Slowly drizzle sugar into the running mixer, a teaspoon or tablespoon at a time, for glossy, stable peaks.
- Color Carefully. For colored meringues, use gel food coloring. Add a very tiny amount with a toothpick and mix evenly.
- Keep the piping bag straight for proper tree shapes; avoid making the trees too big to prevent them from drooping.
- Pipe Immediately. Pipe your meringue as soon as it's ready to preserve its structure and consistency.
- Let meringues rest after baking, leave them in the oven for at least an hour without opening the door to allow them to set.
- Hand Mixer Option. If using a hand mixer, expect a much longer mixing time compared to a stand mixer.
