Day 8 of my christmas countdown inspiration is a bit special with these delectable Woodland Meringues. Looking fabulous with their different coatings, you can never stop at just one!

I’ve used pistachios, dried raspberries, and gold pearl sugar for my chocolate toppings. But you can choose different toppings such as toasted & chopped hazelnuts or almonds, dried mandarins, dried cherries, edible gold leaf, chocolate hail, sprinkles, or want ever takes your fancy.

They make great gifts, bagged up in cellophane bags with christmas ribbon and hung on a Christmas tree or stuffed in Christmas stockings.

Enjoy!

WOODLAND MERINGUES

Adapted from recipe by Helen Goh - Ottolenghi

INGREDIENTS
128 g egg whites (from about 3 large eggs)
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 c + 3 tbsp granulated sugar
¾ tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Dark Chocolate Coating
70 g dark chocolate, chopped
½ c pistachios, chopped

Dark Chocolate Coating
70 g milk chocolate, chopped
½ c pearl sugar or chocolate hail

White Chocolate Coating
70 g white chocolate, chopped
½ c dried raspberries, crushed

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 140°C (fan bake). Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until they appear foamy, about 2 mins. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff, but not dry or crumbly, about 30 secs. Place the sugar in a bowl, with the cornstarch and baking powder. Gradually add the sugar mixture to the egg whites 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until the egg white mixture is thick and glossy, about 3 mins. Beat in the vanilla extract. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a star tip in place.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, sticking each piece to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under the corners. Pipe small drops onto each sheet; the base of each drop should be about 2 cm wide. Raise the piping bag as you pipe so the drops are about 2 cm high with a fine tip at the top. Once all the meringues have been piped, place both baking sheets in the oven at once. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 130°C (you want it to be slightly hotter when they go in to give the meringues a crunch) and bake for 2 hrs. The meringues are done when they look dry and sound hollow when tapped gently underneath. Turn off the oven; prop open the door and leave the meringues inside until cool.

Melt each chocolate in separate heatproof bowls over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Stir occasionally, until each chocolate is melted. Place the pistachios, pearl sugar, and raspberries on separate plates. Dip the base of each meringue into the chocolate, then into the pistachios, pearl sugar, and raspberries. Place meringues on a baking paper-lined baking tray to set.

Makes 60