Chocolate Candy Cane Meringue Wreath Food

CANDY-CANE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Beat 3 egg whites until frothy. Beat in 3/4 cup superfine sugar and a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt until stiff peaks form. Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and swirl in 2 drops red food coloring. Drop by tablespoonfuls and bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Turn off the oven and keep meringues inside for 2 hours to dry.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CANDY CANE MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in a clean glass or metal bowl until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat to stiff peaks. When the meringue is stiff remove from the mixer. Stir in vanilla and fold in candy canes, chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. If you can't bake all of the cookies at once, store the extra in the refrigerator until the other ones are done.
• Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until dry enough to easily peel off of the cookie sheet. Cool cookies then store in an airtight tin.

MERINGUE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk or in a stand mixer for 2-3 mins, or until very foamy and doubled in size. With the motor running, add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, beating in fully before adding the next spoonful.
• When all the sugar has been incorporated, add the peppermint extract and whisk for 2-3 mins more until very thick, glossy, and holding stiff peaks.
• Fit two piping bags with 1cm round nozzles, and paint a few stripes of the food colouring gels onto the inside of the bags using a cocktail stick. (Use one colour for each bag, or alternate the colours in the bags). Heat the oven to 120C/100C fan/gas ½, and line two or three baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Divide the meringue mixture between the two piping bags and pipe roughly 10cm-long, 2cm-thick cane shapes onto the prepared sheets, leaving a gap between each. Bake for 50 mins until dry and crisp. Leave to cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then carefully loosen them from the parchment with a palette knife, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. U se the meringue canes to decorate your tree, or keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

MERINGUE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Beat in peppermint extract., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry bag; insert star tip #21. With a new painbrush, brush three evenly spaced 1/4-in. strips of red food coloring on the inside of the bag from the tip to three-fourths of the way to the top of the bag. Carefully fill bag with meringue., Pipe 3-in. candy canes onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 225° for 25 minutes; rotate baking sheets to a different oven rack. Bake 25 minutes longer or until firm to the touch. Turn oven off; leave cookies in oven with door ajar for at least 1 hour or until cool.