Peppermint Meringue Wreath Cookies

Name: Peppermint Meringue Wreath Cookies
Yield: 15 servings of 1 cookie
Ingredients: 2 egg whites, room temperature; 1½ tsp (7 mL) cornstarch; 1½ tsp (7 mL) white vinegar; ⅓ cup (75 mL) sugar; ¼ tsp (1 mL) peppermint extract; 2 drops red food coloring; 1 cup (250 mL) semi-sweet chocolate morsels; 1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable shortening, divided; red licorice rope (optional); 2 tsp (10 mL) red colored sugar

Prep 20 min

Cook 220 min

Ready in 240 min

These delicate cookies will be a unique addition to your cookie plate.

Ingredients

2 egg whites, room temperature
1½ tsp (7 mL) cornstarch
1½ tsp (7 mL) white vinegar
⅓ cup (75 mL) sugar
¼ tsp (1 mL) peppermint extract
2 drops red food coloring

1 cup (250 mL) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable shortening, divided
red licorice rope (optional)
2 tsp (10 mL) red colored sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200ºF (100ºC). Cut a 10" (25-cm) piece of parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw fifteen 2¾" (7-cm) circles (see Cook's Tips). Turn the paper over and place it on the Large Sheet Pan. In a Classic Batter Bowl, beat the egg whites on the high speed of an electric hand mixer until they're very foamy, about 20 seconds. Add the cornstarch and vinegar, then continue to beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. (The tips of the peaks should curl down when the beaters are lifted.)
While continuously beating the egg white mixture on high speed, gradually add the sugar in a very slow, steady stream. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring. Continue beating on high speed 3-4 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved, the mixture is glossy, and stiff peaks form. (The tips of the peaks should remain upright when the beaters are lifted.)
Attach the open star tip to the large bag of the Decorating Bag Set; fill it with the meringue mixture. Pipe circles of meringue ¾" (2 cm) high onto the circles on the parchment paper. Sprinkle red decorating sugar over the meringues. Bake 1 hour-1½ hours, or until the meringues are dry. Turn the oven off, leaving the meringues in the oven; let stand 1 hour or overnight.
Place the chocolate morsels and shortening in the Small Micro-Cooker^®. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2-3 minutes, stirring after each 30-second interval until the morsels are melted and smooth. Dip the bottoms of the meringues in the melted chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off. Return them to the parchment paper to set (about 30 minutes). Decorate the meringues with licorice rope, if desired. Store in an airtight container up to 7 days.

Yield:

15 servings of 1 cookie

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 80, Total Fat 3.5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 5 mg, Fiber 1 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving:

1 fruit, ½ fat (1 carb)

Cook's Tips:

Dip bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. Adding the small amount of shortening to the chocolate will allow the chocolate to set at room temperature. Chocolate-flavored almond bark can be substituted for the chocolate morsels and shortening, if desired.

To draw perfect circles easily, trace around Measure-All^® Cup as a guide. Draw 15 circles in three rows of five circles each, spacing evenly.

For best results, bake meringues on a cool, dry day. Baking meringues in high humidity makes them sticky.