Meringue Peppermint Twist Cookies
Crunchy but airy meringue cookies sandwich a silky chocolate peppermint ganache to create these fun Christmas cookies. A great choice to give as baked treats for friends and family!
Peppermint twist meringue cookies with ganache filling
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup semi-sweet or 60% chocolate, chips or chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
red gel food coloring
To make the meringue cookies:
- Set oven to 200F. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and add the whites to a clean and dry bowl of your stand mixer. (Reserve yolks for another purpose if desired, well-covered in the fridge.)
-Add the cream or tartar and salt to the bowl then begin mixing on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high.
-Once the egg whites have formed soft peaks, begin to sprinkle in the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds after each addition. This allows the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites so your final meringue is perfectly smooth with out sugar granules in it. Once meringue has created very stiff peaks and has come to a thick marshmallowy texture, which will stand up in peaks when the beater is lifted, stir in the vanilla.
-Using a large piping bag fitted with a star tip, open your piping bag to the inside and with a long spatula or paint brush, run a streak of red gel food coloring lengthwise along the inside of the bag, on two opposite sides. Fill your piping bag with the meringue.
-Pipe your meringues allowing at least an inch of space between each for airflow. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift to finish the meringue.
Place on the center rack of the oven to bake at 200 for about an hour then turn the oven off and keep oven door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. The meringue cookies are done when they're are dried throughout. You'll be able to lift them off the baking sheet and they will feel very light and airy.
To make chocolate ganache:
-Place cream in a small saucepan and heat just until cream comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and without stirring allow to sit for 15 minutes. Then stir the chocolate into the cream with a whisk until all the chocolate is melted and ganache is very smooth. Let sit for 30 - 45 minutes until ganache has thickened to the point where you can pipe it from a bag.
-Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip and match 2 meringue cookies that are the closest in size to one another. Pipe a generous amount of ganache onto the bottom of one cookie (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) and then place the bottom of the other cookie firmly against the chocolate. Set aside as you create the other sandwich meringue cookies.
-Makes about 20 sandwich cookies.
Pipe the striped meringue onto a parchment lined baking sheet, then bake according to directions.
Pipe the chocolate ganache between the bottoms of 2 similar sized meringue cookies and press together firmly.
Such a delightful cookie to look at and to eat - a perfect Christmas treat!
