Meringue Santa Hats:
Prepare as directed except after all the sugar has been added in Step 2, beat in red food paste or gel.* Spoon meringue into a new disposable pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe meringue into 1 1/2-inch tall hat shapes that are wider at the base and narrower at the top, pulling tip off to the side at the top to create a hat tip. If desired, sprinkle with red sugar. Bake and cool as directed (if making larger hats, bake 1 1/2 hours as directed for Big Meringue Snowmen). If desired, dip tips and bases in melted white chocolate and then in white nonpareils for the headband and pompom.)
Meringue Christmas Trees:
Prepare as directed except after all the sugar has been added in Step 2, beat in green food paste or gel. Spoon meringue into a new disposable pastry bag fitted with a large star or round tip. Pipe meringue into 1 1/2-inch tall spirals that are wider at the base and narrower at the top. Lightly sprinkle trees with nonpareils, jimmies, or other sprinkles. Add large yellow sprinkles to the tops for the star. Bake and cool as directed (if making larger hats, bake 1 1/2 hours as directed for Big Meringue Snowmen). If desired, sift with powdered sugar to create a snowy effect.
Tips
Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
*Tip:
To get a deep red color, you’ll have to use quite a bit of red gel food coloring, which can affect the taste of the meringues. If desired, look for no-taste red paste food coloring (such as Wilton brand). However, this product won’t result in the same deep red color.
