These cute Meringue Mushrooms are classic meringue cookies, made from egg whites and granulated sugar so they’re light, crisp, and naturally fat-free. Enjoy them plain, or use them to decorate your holiday yule log cake.
🍄🟫 Meringue Mushrooms For A Bûche de Noël
If you’ve ever wanted your Christmas desserts to have a bit more of a fungus flair, this is the recipe for you! Meringue Mushrooms are a cousin to classic meringue cookies, but they’re piped and decorated to look like actual mushrooms.
The thought of turning meringues into mushrooms may seem a bit random at first, but there’s a good reason for shroom-ifying these cookies: they’re traditionally used to decorate Bûche de Noël, or yule log cakes. The cakes are designed to look like wooden logs, so it makes perfect sense to garnish them with other forest flora, like mushrooms.
In this post, we’ll guide you through the simple process of making your own meringue mushrooms at home. With our step-by-step instructions and helpful tips, you’ll be creating beautiful decorations in no time. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a holiday newbie, these meringue mushrooms are sure to add a touch of magic to your festive treats.
Serve them with…
Serve these Meringue Mushrooms with our popular Flourless Chocolate Bûche de Noël, Peanut Butter Cup Yule Log, or Mini Buche de Noel cakes.
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
These delicate mushrooms are surprisingly easy to make and require minimal ingredients – mostly just egg whites and sugar! Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you make this recipe. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Egg whites: Use large eggs, and for the best results, have them at room temperature before beginning. Either let them sit out for 20-30 minutes, or submerge them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to warm them up quickly. If you are unsure about how to separate egg whites, check out my separating eggs tutorial! Note: I do not recommend using pasteurized egg whites in a carton for this recipe. They will not whip properly for making meringue.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of Tartar is great for adding to egg whites to give them strength and stability when making meringue. You can technically skip it, but I find it’s a great insurance policy to make sure my meringue always turns out.
- Granulated sugar: We need white granulated sugar for this – you can’t substitute anything else.
- White chocolate chips: This is used to hold together the caps and stems of the mushrooms. White chocolate, white chips, or even white almond bark will work.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: A light dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the mushrooms make them look completely authentic.
Equipment
You won’t need much in the way of specialty equipment to make this cake–just a few baking basics!
- Mixer: You will need a mixer to whip up the meringue. I recommend a stand mixer if possible – it’ll get the job done much faster. If a hand mixer is what you have, it should still work, but it will take longer to get the meringue to stiff peaks.
- Baking sheet and parchment paper: I highly recommend using parchment paper for this project – it makes removing the meringues much easier.
- Piping Bags and round tip: In order to pipe the mushroom shapes you will need piping bags and a 1/2 inch circle tip.
Ready to Make These?
- Get the recipe below 👇👇
- Scroll below the recipe for step-by-step photos
- Read important FAQs and more
🎄 More Christmas Desserts
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Meringue Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar, (½ cup)
- 1.5 oz white chocolate chips, (¼ cup)
- .75 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, (¼ cup), for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 C).
- Place the room temperature egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer with the whisk attachments.)
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until the egg whites are foamy. Turn the mixer off, add the cream of tartar, and beat again on medium until the whites have turned an opaque white color and just start to hold soft peaks.
- At this point, start adding the granulated sugar a few spoonfuls at a time with the mixer running. Adding the sugar slowly helps it incorporate and prevents the meringue from becoming grainy.
- Continue to add the granulated sugar very gradually until it is all added. Beat the egg white mixture until they are very thick, glossy, and a shiny white color. When you stop the mixer and lift the whisk out of the whites, the whites should have a very stiff peak. This process will take about 5-10 minutes in a stand mixer, longer with a hand mixer.
- Transfer the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and put a dab of meringue mixture under the corner of your parchment sheet to stick it down and make piping easier. You need to pipe 2 different shapes to make mushrooms.
- To make the mushroom caps: hold the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle about 1/2-inch above the parchment paper. Using firm and even pressure, squeeze out a round meringue disc about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Stop squeezing, then lift the bag up to avoid making too much of a peak on the round cap. Repeat in regular intervals on the baking sheet until you have approximately 24 mushroom caps.
- Smooth out any peaks or bumps on the tops of your mushrooms by wetting your index finger with a bit of water and lightly running it along the caps.
- To make the mushroom stems: Start in the same perpendicular position, and begin squeezing the bag to form a 1-inch round base. Continue to squeeze as you slowly and evenly draw the bag up, forming a tapering stem about 2 inches tall. Use the remaining meringue to pipe as many stems as possible. The stems sometimes tilt or collapse during baking, so it’s a good idea to make a few extras just in case.
- Bake the meringues at 200 F for 60 minutes. After an hour, turn the oven off, keep the door closed, and allow the meringues to sit until completely cool (approximately another 60 minutes). The meringues should be hard and dry to the touch, and you should be able to easily lift one from the parchment.
- Melt the white chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds and then mix. If there are still chunks of unmelted white chocolate, microwave for an additional 10 seconds and stir. Repeat this process until the white chocolate chips are evenly melted.
- Use a toothpick to poke a small hole in the bottom of the mushroom caps, rotating it around until you’ve carved a hole big enough for a mushroom stem to fit into.
- Pipe or spread a bit of white chocolate into the hole in the mushroom cap, then gently press a mushroom stem into the hole until it is secure. (Or, dip the top of a mushroom stem in the melted chocolate and then press it into the hole in the cap.) Repeat until all of the mushrooms are assembled, and let them set completely.
- Lightly sift cocoa over the tops of the mushrooms, then use them to decorate your buche de noel!
- Meringue Mushrooms can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry environment at room temperature for about 2 weeks. They are highly susceptible to any kind of moisture, so if you live in a humid environment, it’s recommended to store them with food-safe desiccant packets to keep them from becoming soft and soggy. For this same reason, do not store them in the refrigerator, and wait until shortly before serving to place them on your dessert.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Meringue Mushrooms
These pictures will take you through the meringue mushroom process, step by step. You can get a printable version of the recipe in the recipe card above.
Make the Meringue: Beat the Egg Whites
- Place the room temperature egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer with the whisk attachments.)
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until the egg whites are foamy.
Add the Cream of Tartar
- Turn the mixer off and add the cream of tartar.
- Turn the mixer back on to medium speed, and whip the egg whites until they are an opaque white color and just start to hold soft peaks.
Add the Sugar and Whip Until Stiff
- Start adding the granulated sugar slowly, a few spoonfuls at a time, with the mixer running. Adding the sugar slowly helps it incorporate and prevents the meringue from becoming grainy.
- Beat the egg white mixture until they are very thick, glossy, and a shiny white color. When you stop the mixer and lift the whisk out of the whites, the whites should have a very stiff peak. This process will take about 5-10 minutes in a stand mixer, longer (maybe even double the time) with a hand mixer.
- Transfer the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, and use it right away.
Pipe the Mushroom Caps and Stems
- To make the mushroom caps: hold the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle about 1/2-inch above the parchment paper. Using firm and even pressure, squeeze out a round meringue disc about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Stop squeezing, then lift the bag up to avoid making too much of a peak on the round cap. Make 24 caps.
- Smooth out any peaks or bumps on the tops of your mushrooms by wetting your index finger with a bit of water and lightly running it along the caps.
- To make the mushroom stems: Start in the same perpendicular position, and begin squeezing the bag to form a 1-inch round base. Continue to squeeze as you slowly and evenly draw the bag up, forming a tapering stem about 2 inches tall. Use the remaining meringue to pipe as many stems as possible. The stems sometimes tilt or collapse during baking, so it’s a good idea to make a few extras just in case.
- Bake the meringues at 200 F for 60 minutes. After an hour, turn the oven off, keep the door closed, and allow the meringues to sit until completely cool (approximately another 60 minutes).
Assemble the Mushrooms
- Once the meringues are baked and cooled, use a toothpick to poke a small hole in the bottom of the mushroom caps, rotating it around until you’ve carved a hole big enough for a mushroom stem to fit into.
- Dip the tip of a mushroom stem into a bowl of melted white chocolate, then gently press it into the hole in the mushroom cap. Repeat until all of the mushrooms are assembled.
- Lightly sift cocoa over the tops of the mushrooms, then use them to decorate your yule log!
💡 Tips for Success
Egg White Tips
Meringues are ALL about the egg whites, so for the very best results, your egg whites should be:
- very fresh (don’t use old eggs for this recipe!)
- room temperature – not cold! Either let them sit out for 20-30 minutes to warm up, or place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to take the chill off.
- completely free of any fat or yolk
- from an actual egg: egg whites from a carton do not work well when making meringue cookies.
Wondering how best to separate your eggs so they don’t get yolks in them? Check out my guide to separating eggs four different ways!
Cream of Tartar = Stable Meringue
Although the cream of tartar is technically optional, I highly recommend using it! Cream of tartar adds a lot of necessary stability to egg whites when they’re being whipped for meringue. Adding cream of tartar is like a little extra insurance policy that your meringue will turn out, stiff peaks will form, and all will be right in the world.
If you can’t find any and really want to make meringues, by all means, proceed, and just keep your fingers crossed. But if you have easy access to cream of tartar, then you have no excuse not to use it.
Decorating Tips
- Sprinkling the tops of your mushrooms with a very fine dusting of cocoa powder makes them look even more realistic.
- You can add a bit of green tea matcha powder as well, to give the illusion of moss.
💭 Meringue Mushroom FAQs
Cracked meringues are probably the most common problem people run into, and there are multiple causes behind it! The most common reasons meringue cookies crack include an oven temp that’s too high (get those oven thermometers!), being cooked for too long, or being over-whipped and having too much air incorporated into the meringue mixture. Fortunately, a cracked meringue still tastes great, it’s just a cosmetic flaw.
The solution to preventing cracks in future batches is to monitor your oven temperature and keep it low, don’t over-bake your meringues, and be sure to only beat your egg whites on medium-high speed, not the highest setting, which can incorporate too many air bubbles and cause cracks to form during baking.
Your meringue cookies are done when they’re crisp and hard to the touch, and can be easily removed from the parchment paper, but have not taken on any color around the edges. (This is easier to see when baking white meringues vs colored.)
Meringue Mushrooms can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry environment at room temperature for about 2 weeks. They are highly susceptible to any kind of moisture, so if you live in a humid environment, it’s recommended to store them with food-safe desiccant packets to keep them from becoming soft and soggy. For this same reason, do not store them in the refrigerator, and wait until shortly before serving to place them on your dessert.
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