Christmas Cookies: Part 3

 

I had been wanting to try my hand at making meringue cookies for quite some time. However, when I learned that my youngest son was allergic to eggs, I kind of felt like that ship had sailed. Luckily, for me, he grew out of his egg allergy and I finally got to try some meringue cookies. They worked great! So tasty! I love that these cookies are a good low-calorie way to get your sweet fix. The recipe suggests dropping the meringue by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. I did that with my first batch. Maybe I am not good at making pretty dollops. The cookies from my first batch turned out fine. They tasted great, they just weren't all that pretty. So, for my second batch, I spooned the meringue into a frosting bag and piped it out using a large star tip. Voila! Problem solved. These were so easy. I will definitely be making them again...and again, and again...

The second cookie recipe is a recipe that my mom made, and unfortunately, I don't have a picture for those ones...but who doesn't love shortbread? Shortbread is the perfect Christmas cookie.

Peppermint Meringues

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 peppermint candy canes, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.

In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by KATHY. You can find it here.

Notes: I didn't count these, but I don't think I got quite 4 dozen cookies (which is how many the recipe said it would make). I also didn't need two cookie sheets. I fit all the cookies on one sheet. I might blame the altitude again because my meringue never got super high, voluminous, and fluffy. Oh well, it still worked and I got great cookies out of it!

 

Above: I sprinkled half with crushed peppermint and left the other half plain. They were fantastic both ways. I think I might try mixing mini chocolate chips in them (just prior to piping them onto the cookie sheets) next time.

Above: 3/15/15 update. I made these again for Christmas 2014 and used a different frosting tip to pipe them out. It's fun to try out new tips to see how different and pretty the cookies can turn out.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Jennifer Wilton. You can find it here.

Notes: One reviewer suggested that the correct oven temperature was 350 degrees and that they should only be baked for 9 minutes. I would suggest watching your cookies and don't let them brown too much.