These Meringue Christmas Trees are a show-stopping festive treat that are surprisingly simple to make. Crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside with still a slight softness, they’re perfect for Christmas dessert tables, gifting, or a fun baking activity with the kids. Decorated with sprinkles or drizzled chocolate, these elegant meringue treats bring a touch of magic to your holiday celebrations while keeping things light and sweet
Meringue Christmas Trees - Festive, Light & Easy Holiday Dessert
Meringue Christmas Trees Recipe - Holiday Baking
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dessert
Cuisine
Swiss
Author:
Ashley’s Place
Servings
15
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
60 minutes
Crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside, these Meringue Christmas Trees are a festive holiday treat. Easy to make, decorate with sprinkles or chocolate, and perfect for Christmas dessert tables or gifting or even decorating your cupcakes with. I use the Swiss method of heating the eggs and sugar together first. I find it easier but also if you need help please just message me I am always happy to help
Ingredients
-
100g of Egg Whites room temp
- 200g of Caster Sugar (white finer sugar)
-
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
Directions
Preheat oven to 90° Celsius
Prep your Bain Marie, a small pot with about 1cm of water and a heat proof bowl hat will sit on top but won't touch the water when it is boiling.
Add your egg whites to your sugar in the bowl you will use on top of the Bain Marie and give it a good mix
Then add your bowl with the sugar and eggs on top of your pot, on the smaller burner and on a lower heat. You want to heat and cook the eggs/sugar but you don't want it super hot.
Continuously mix your eggs and sugar while it's cooking, don't leave it to cook by itself you need to stir and watch it
Cook for approx 10 mins or until the sugar has completely dissolved, I usually check between my fingers to see if I can feel the sugar but watch your fingers so you don’t burn yourself. Your mixture shouldn’t be super hot though.
Once dissolved add the mixture into your mixing bowl, if you are using a handheld mixer pop it into a separate bowl we don't recommend mixing it in the bowl you used to heat it up as we want it to cool down. Use your whisk or balloon attachment if you have one (a handheld mixer is fine to use too)
Start on a low speed for about 30 seconds and then up the speed to high. Continue to mix until you start to form stiff peaks this will take approx. 10 minutes, but can depend on the amount of mixture, how hot is was ect so keep an eye on it and mix until you get those stiff peaks
Just before it is ready add your flavour in. You can add a little liquid in, some people prefer to use powders or pastes in . You just don't want to add too much as it will ruin your mixture. You can also add your colouring at this time otherwise you can add it at the end and mix by hand. Just don't overmix or be too rough if you do it by hand
Pop your leaf piping tip into your piping bag and cut the end off just under the opening of the piping tip and cut this before you add any mixture into the bag
Once your meringue has formed nice stiff peaks and is staying up you can pop it into your piping bag. Pull your bag down over your glass or hand. You want to be filling the bag towards the bottom to make it easier for yourself.
Now pipe your meringue Christmas Trees. Simply place the thicker end of the piping tip against your baking tray lined with baking paper and the smaller side facing up. This way our tree will stand up .
And start to pipe your tree start with the top of the tree and pipe in a zig zag form going out as you go down to get that tree shape. Don’t stress if it isn’t perfect and if you are scared of piping into the triangle shape simply draw some triangle (or tree) shapes onto your baking paper so you have a guide to pipe too but again don’t stress if it’s not perfect just have fun with it
You pipe by twisting the end of the bag and holding it in-between your hand so the meringue doesn’t come out that end and push down with that hand so the meringue comes out. You can use your other hand to hold the end of the bag to guide it. Once you have finished you can just simply stop pushing the bag and pull away from your tray
Continue this until you have used all the meringue and try your best to make the same or similar shapes otherwise they will bake at different speeds and some will be undercooked or overcooked. You also don't need too much room in-between they only grow a little in the oven so just leave a little space in-between
Pop into your preheated oven to bake away at a low temp of 90° for approx 1 hour or until they come clean off the baking paper when you lift them off, this will depend on how big your meringues are so check them at about 45 mins and if you check at 1 hour and they are sticking to the bottom still not coming off clean then they need more time
Once baked turn your oven off and leave them in the oven with the door ajar a little, you can pop a towel in the door to make it easier and to make sure its not knocked. Leave them for about 1 hour or so if you can to cool down.
And enjoy! These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I personally prefer to make them fresh the day before an event but they definitely can be made ahead of time
Recipe Note
FAQ & Notes:
Tools you need:
Pot with about 1cm of water
Spatula, whisk or spoon for mixing
Heat proof Bowl
Piping tip and Bag if available
Scales
Mixer you can use a hand held but use the whisk or balloon attachment on your stand mixer
Baking Temperature and Time:
90°C or 194°F
Baking 1 Hour for meringue kisses
Baking time will depend on the size of your meringues please check the "How to to check your meringues are done" section to know once they baked. You can also check at about the 45 minute mark to see how they are going
Resting time in oven for approx 1-2 hours or until cooled
FAQ's
Q. Why are my meringues cracking?
A. There can be lots of reason for cracking meringues, the eggs might have been too cold, if the oven door is opened too many times while baking, if you have overbeaten the mixture or if you have added too much liquid to the mixture as well. It could also be depending on how you piped your meringue and if there was air pockets. Cracks can happen with meringues but they are still ok to eat like this and it can happen to the pro's too.
Q. It's been an hour and my meringues aren't cooked?
A. Meringues take approx 1 hour to bake but this is going to depend on the size of what you pipe so if it has been an hour and they are still cooking they may need a little bit more time in the oven
Q. Do I need to clean my bowl with lemon before mixing my meringue?
A. I am going to be honest I have never done this ever, I know alot of people swear by it and you can 100% do this as well to make sure your bowl is clean. But I just make sure my bowl is clean and completely dry before adding in my mixture
Q. Do I really need room temp eggs?
A. Yes we do recommend using room temp eggs for this recipe and actually alot of baking. This is because it can change the consistency if you add cold eggs into baked goods.
Q. What do I do with the yolks?
A. Don't throw out your egg yolks you can use these to make a custard which could be delicious for your meringue nests or you could add it into a omelet or even some shortbread etc. When ever I am making meringues I like to think ahead and think what other desserts I might be using for the event and plan to use the leftovers
Q. How long do they keep once baked?
A. They will keep for approx 2 weeks in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot in the kitchen. I prefer to make them fresh for what I am using them for though.