Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse...
Well these mice will cause quite a stir!
Several years ago when I was hunting for a unique cookie to make for our annual Christmas cookie exchange, I saw the cover of a magazine at the grocery store checkout, picturing the cutist little mouse shaped meringue cookies, and my hunt was over. I bought the magazine and ingredients and the following weekend whipped up 11 dozen (10 to give away and 1 to keep). Well it wasn't quite that easy and I'm no Martha Stewart, but due to popular demand, this year I made them again.
As luck would have it, do you think I could find that recipe?! I had moved since then and perhaps the magazine got tossed, if not by me, then by my moving "helpers". Regardless, I had to rely on memory and any basic meringue cookie recipe I could find in my cookbooks and online. Actually I tried to
search Google and MSN for a meringe mice recipe and it must either be a big secret, as I could only find websites of either a bakery store advertising their baked goods or others selling cookbooks, or I'm the only one missing the boat recognizing this as a money making opportunity.
In either case, when these meringue mice are presented on a cookie platter they are just priceless, and when the light and powdery meringue melts in your mouth, they tend to disappear "in the blink of an eye". And wouldn't Santa be extra generous after finding these left for him on Christmas Eve!
So here I will share with you, as a successful two time meringue mice maker, my version of these delectable delicacies, and when I need the recipe next time, I'll know where to find it!
Meringue (pronounced muh-rang) is simply a mixture of egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar, beaten until it becomes very stiff. Just like there are hard and soft crack types of candy, meringue also has a hard and soft version which is determined by the amount of sugar used. Soft meringue is generally found on cakes and pies like the well known Lemon Meringue Pie. Cookies, like these Meringue Mice, generally use the hard version which uses more sugar.
Meringue Mice Recipe
Ingredients for 3 - 4 dozen
1 cup or 250 ml egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
72-96 Almond halfs (for ears)
72-96 mini Chocolate chips (for eyes)
36-48 string licorice of perferred flavour/color (for tail)
36-48 edible silver balls or red/green candy coated chocolate bits (for nose)
Piping bag
Preheat oven to 235 degrees F or 125 degrees celcius. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites until foamy and then add the cream of tartar. Continue beating until the egg can form soft peaks. Gradually start adding the sugar and beat until the meringue can hold very stiff peaks. Then beat in the vanilla. To test if the sugar has dissolved properly, rub a little between your thumb and index finger. If it feels gritty, then continue beating.
Partially fill the piping bag with the meringue and fold over the top of the bag so the meringue doesn't leak back out all over your hands. To get nicely shaped wedge forms, practice sqeezing the piping bag gently to make the smaller head area, then apply a little more pressure to form the body. You should sqeeze out about a 2 inch length of meringue for each mouse.
Once you get the hang of it, pipe out as many mice as will fit on your pans about 1 inch apart. Depending on how many you make, I recommend filling as many pans as will fit in your oven at one time, using both racks if neccessary.
After all the meringue mice shapes are formed, the eyes, ears, & nose pieces are set in the meringue. Place the nose balls at the tip of the nose area, followed by the chocolate chip eyes, and then the almond halves for each ear.
Tweezers are really handy for placing the nose balls and chocolate chips on the meringue when one seems to be all thumbs or has the dropsies. Let the kids help if possible and it will really help speed things up.
When all the meringue mice have their face on, place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 1 hour. To ensure even baking, rotate the trays around at about 1/2 time. The meringues are done when they are a pale ivory colour and firm when lifted off the tray, somewhat like a styrofoam ball, and if broken in half, it should be crisp and dry.
The meringue needs to cool slowly too so either turn off the oven and leave them in it for a few hours, or set the pans on top of the oven with a tea towel over top to help keep the heat in.
Last but not least, once the meringue mice are cooled, gently bore a small hole at the back end of the meringue, big enough to insert the licorice string tail. The tail can be secured in place by dipping the end in Royal Icing before inserting into the hole, and then allowed to dry hard. Again, children can help by dipping the licorice strings in the icing and inserting them into premade holes.
Meringue Tips:
Use egg whites that are at room temperature and free of any yolk specs.
Wax paper is not recommended as the meringue may stick to it.
Know your oven!
Baking meringue slowly allows the moisture to gradually evaporate out of the meringue. If the oven
is too hot, the outer meringue will set too quickly and the inside will be chewy and sticky. Also the
sugar may start to carmelize which means you should turn the oven down by as much as 25 degrees F.
If it's a rainy or humid day, baking may take up to an extra 1/2 hour.
