The Big Cookie Project: Week 16

Thine eyes do not deceive you. I DID make cookies to look like mushrooms. A little weird, but definitely relevant to what they were going with. I was asked to make a 4th Birthday cake for Nolan's BFF and the theme was Tinkerbell. I had the cake all picked out, but then realized this was a COOKIE blog, not a cake blog and had to figure out a cookie to go with the cake theme. You would be amazed at all the cookies that came up when I googled "Tinkerbell Cookie". I found a sugar cookie in the shape of buttons (I am posting the pic, even though they are not the cookie of the week. Just thought they were nifty) but the sugar cookie dough was pre-made, so it still did not fit the bill for the Cookie of the Week. **If you are wondering why buttons have anything to do with Tinkerbell, apparently fairies use buttons frequently, especially Tinkerbell because she is a "Tinker" fairy. Just thought you would like to know.** Then, I came across the mushroom cookies and thought they were too funny. Fairies use mushrooms for tables, and what not, so they fit perfectly in to the theme.

This was a meringue recipe, and it was my first. I guess they came out okay, I've never fixed them before to compare. But they did look like mushrooms and they were edible which is two big criteria in cookie making. Here's the recipe :)

Meringue Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 granulated sugar

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.


2. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy

3. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks

4. turn the mixer up to high and beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time. Continue beating hte whites until they become glossy and form stiff peaks.

5. Spoon the meringue into the pastry bag. On the first tray, pipe 18 to 24 mushroom caps by holding the pastry bag perpendicular to the tray and using even pressure to squeeze out mounds of meringue that measure 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and about 3/4 inch high. To avoid creating peaked tops, try twisting the pastry bag as you pull it away from the caps. You can also gently smooth small peaks with a wet fingertip.

6. Pipe mushroom stems on the second tray (make extras because some will topple over in the oven). For each one, start with a round base (about 3/4 to 1 inch wide) and continue piping meringue as you slowly draw the bag upward to give the stem a tapered top. Ideally, your stems should be 1 1/2 inches tall.

7. Bake the caps and stems for 75 minutes, turning the trays halfway through the baking time so the meringue will cook evenly.

8. Joining the stems and caps. Use the tip of a knife to hollow out a small hole on the underside of each cap. Then, heat hte chocolate chips in the microwave for 3o second intervals, stirring each time, until they are melted. For each mushroom, dip the top of a stem into the melted chocolate and insert it into the hollow of the cap

9. Once the chocolate has set, lightly dust the mushroom tops with sifted cocoa powder

DONE!

I know the directions are little intense, but these cookies weren't hard to make at all. I don't know how many times in your life where you will need cookies in the shape of mushrooms, but if you do, use this one!!

I used the mushrooms to decorate the tray that the cake was on, so it sort of (or is supposed to) resemble a fairy forest, or what in my mind a fairy forest looks like.

PS. I could definitely see myself making these for an April Fool's food

Got the recipe from www.disneyfamily.com