Meringue Santa Hats

A while ago  I made Meringue Ribbon Roses , and this time around I decided to make Meringue Santa Hats.

Idea came to me very unexpectedly, as I was going to make Meringue Snowflakes*, and I actually did, as I was piping them onto a parchment paper, I thought hm, I could make Santa Hats, and so I did. Aren’t they adorable!? I also found a perfect use for them..Cupcake Toppers, but by all means they can be enjoyed alone.I flavored them with orange extract and butter extract to give them a nice flavor.

 * it didn’t work out very well, meringue snowflakes are very fragile and most of them broke when I tried to lift them off the parchment paper.

(about 40 hats, diameter of  approximately 1 inch or so)

 

4 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder

pinch of salt
1tbl orange extract

red food coloring

 

Using a whisk combine egg whites, pinch of salt, sugar and meringue powder in a heat proof bowl, best tempered glass or your stainless steel mixer bowl. Set the bowl over the pan with simmering water. Whisking constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch, about 5 minutes or so.

Transfer the bowl to your electric mixers, using wire attachment, beat the mixture gradually from low to high, until stiff peaks are formed.About 8-10 minutes. Add the flavorings and mix for a minute or so to incorporate extract.

Divide meringue into half, color one half with red food coloring.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Fit 2 piping bags with Wilton Tip 2D( I believe you could also do this with a plain tip or a star tip if you don’t have 2D), fill one  bag with white meringue and one with red. 

Fit another piping bag with a small Wilton 16 tip, fill it with white meringue, you’ll only need about 1/2 cup or so, this will be used to make the the pom pom.

Pipe the white bottoms of hat. Pipe red part of the hat, when piping this part, slightly pull the tip upwards to form the peak. Pipe the pom pom with the small tip.

I baked 2 sheets at a time,  at 180F, for about 2.5-3 hours, or until dried through. Baking times vary depending on the side of the piped meringue designs.

 

Once baked, let cool completely in the oven. 

Enjoy or spread a little holiday cheer with your cupcakes, and use these cute Santa Hat for your cupcakes.
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