Meringue Cookies

These airy puffs can only be made on a dry day when the humidity is low. They do freeze well, as long as you take care not to let them get crushed. To make meringue mushrooms for the Buche Noel, omit the food coloring and the chips. With a pastry bag, pipe little rounds for the caps, and make the stems by making a very small circle for a base, then pulling the pastry bag tip up toward you. You can dust with a little cocoa powder to make it more mushroom-looking. Assemble when cool, by poking a little hole in the underside of the cap and inserting the stem.

Meringue Cookies

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 drop desired food coloring (optional)
1 cup chocolate mini-chips

Preheat oven to 250 °. Place eggs in a grease-free mixer bowl. Whip at high speed until frothy. Add sugar, one tablespoonful at a time over a period of 10 minutes (time it!!). Add cream of tartar. Add chocolate bits (I have used crushed candy canes, or nuts instead, but prefer the chocolate!) Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop small spoonfuls of batter fairly close together. (If you want to be really clever, use a piping bag without the tip.) Place in oven and bake for two hours. Turn the oven off. Keep door closed for several hours or overnight. These freeze well but do not tolerate humidity, so bake them on a nice dry day and keep airtight in the freezer until you need them.