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Meringue Mushrooms Recipe

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

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These meringue mushrooms are highly prized on Christmas cookie platters and are darling for decorating holiday cakes such as yule logs (stay tuned for my next recipe – eek eek so excited)! Meringue mushroom cookies take some time to dry out in the oven but otherwise, they are easy to make. And they can be made a few days in advance!

No need to strive for perfection here. It’s best if they are imperfect because lets face it, mushrooms are all unique and their imperfections will make them look more natural. This recipe yields 30-35 meringue mushrooms.

As with any meringue recipe, it works best on a dry day, stored at room temp, and not in a humid climate. Also, the cream of tartar is important and stabilizes the egg whites so the cookies don’t turn out hollow.

They aren’t the same without cream of tartar. It’s an inexpensive ingredient that makes a big difference in meringue recipes.

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

Ingredients for Meringue Mushrooms

2 large egg whites, room temp (if you forgot, put them in warm water for 15 min)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

Tools You’ll Need for Meringue Mushrooms:

A large cookie sheet
Parchment Paper
Wilton 2A tip with a piping bag (or use a big ziploc bag and a 3/8″ round hole cut in the corner, it just won’t be as easy to pipe).

Bakers tip: organic granulated sugar does not work well in this recipe because it’s too coarse. I’ve tried it and it sucks.

How to Make Meringue Mushrooms:

Prep: Preheat Oven to 200° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (not wax paper).
1. Add 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cream of tartar and beat with whisk attachment on high speed 7 min or until you have glossy ribbons and the peaks stay fairly stiff (cold whites take longer).

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

2. Transfer meringue to pastry bag fitted with a 3/8″ round tip and pipe onto lined cookie sheet (about 1″ apart). Mushroom caps should look like large chocolate kisses (1 1/2″ diameter at the base) with the tip swirled into the side so you get an even top. If you’re a perfectionist; you can smooth the mushroom caps with a wet fingertip. Mushroom stems should look like slimmer/taller kisses (3/4″ diameter at the base) and tips pointed up. It’s ok if stems curve a little – gives more character to the mushrooms but too much curve and mushrooms will fall over. 

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

3. Bake at 200˚F for 1 hour 30 min. They should slide easily off the parchment paper easily when they are done. Remove from oven and pull the parchment paper off the baking sheet . Let cool on the paper completely to room temp. Note: When they come out of the oven, they will be crisp on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside, but will harden as they cool.

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

4. To assemble, dust the tops and stems lightly with cocoa powder. If you like, you can smudge the cocoa powder with your fingers to give them that natural dirty glow :). It’s easiest to add the cocoa powder before assembling. Rotate the tip of a small paring knife in the center of each mushroom cap to cut a small hole just large enough to fit the tip of the base.

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

5. Now melt chocolate, transfer into a ziploc bag, snip off a tiny hole from the corner of the bag and pipe chocolate into the holes of meringue. Stick the bases into the holes and leave them upside-down until chocolate hardens and sets. Gently transfer set cookies to an airtight container and store for several days at room temp. Do not refrigerate.

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

 

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Meringue Mushrooms Recipe

5 from 31 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
These meringue mushrooms are highly prized on Christmas cookie platters and are darling for decorating holiday cakes such as yule logs They can be made a few days in advance!
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 30 to 35 cookies

For the Meringue Mushrooms:

  • 2 large egg whites, room temp (if you forgot, put them in warm water for 15 min)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Tools you'll need:

  • A large cookie sheet
  • Parchment Paper
  • Wilton 2A tip with a piping bag, or use a big ziploc bag and a 3/8″ round hole cut in the corner, it just won't be as easy to pipe.

Instructions

Prep: Preheat Oven to 200° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (not wax paper).

  • Add 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cream of tartar and beat with whisk attachment on high speed 7 min or until you have glossy ribbons and the peaks stay fairly stiff.
  • Transfer meringue to your pastry bag fitted with a 3/8" round tip and pipe onto lined cookie sheet (about 1″ apart). Mushroom caps should look like large chocolate kisses (1 1/2" diameter at the base) with the tip swirled into the side so you get an even top. If you're a perfectionist; you can smooth the mushroom caps with a wet fingertip. Mushroom stems should look like slimmer/taller kisses (3/4" diameter at the base) and tips pointed up.
  • Bake at 200˚F for 1 hour 30 min. They should slide easily off the parchment paper easily when they are done. Remove from oven and pull parchment paper off the baking sheet. Let cool on paper completely to room temp. Note: When they come out of the oven, they will be crisp on the outside and a little marshmallowy on the inside, but will harden as they cool.
  • To assemble, dust the tops and stems lightly with cocoa powder. If you like, you can smudge the cocoa powder with your fingers to give them that natural dirty glow :). Rotate the tip of a small paring knife in the center of each mushroom cap to cut a small hole just large enough to fit the tip of the base.
  • Now melt chocolate, transfer into a ziploc bag, snip off a tiny hole from the corner of the bag and pipe chocolate into the holes of meringue. Stick the bases into the holes and leave them upside-down until chocolate hardens and sets. Gently transfer set cookies to an airtight container and store for several days at room temp. Do not refrigerate.

Notes

As with any meringue recipe, it works best on a dry day, stored at room temp, and not in a humid climate.
Cream of tartar is important and stabilizes egg whites so the cookies don't turn out hollow.
Organic granulated sugar does not work well in this recipe because it's too coarse.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: meringue mushrooms, mushroom cookies
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $3-$5

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

 

Hello darlings! ? The cake that I made with these though – can’t wait to share it with y’all!! If you are subscribed to my weekly newsletter you got a sneak peak allready, if you’re not subscribed, you can become a Natasha’s Kitchen insider here.

Merry Merry Christmas my friends!

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)
Meringue Mushrooms Recipe - Completely adorable meringue Christmas cookies perfect for decorating holiday cakes like the yule log! (step-by-step photos)

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Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Read comments/reviewsAdd comment/review

  • Colleen
    March 16, 2023

    There were so many pop up, moving ads on this page, I had to screenshot the steps and leave to actually read it. That being said, it’s a great recipe. Huge hit!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      March 16, 2023

      Hi Colleen, we don’t have any popup ads on the page – are you referring to my email signup possibly? that should only show up once and shouldn’t pop back up after it’s closed. If it’s something else, could you send me the screenshot so I can make sure to address it – you can email my assistant at: hello @ natashaskitchen.com (no spaces). Thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply

  • Magda
    December 2, 2022

    Hi
    I have made these tonight , not sure what I have done wrong but they came out yellow. Plus I feel like they are really salty? I have tried to convert as best I could in UK measurements.
    Any advice is welcome.

    Thank you
    Magda

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 2, 2022

      Hi Magda! Be sure to read through my notes above for helpful tips to see if you possibly missed something or did something differently. I also highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer. Every oven bakes differently so you may need to adjust your oven. It sounds like the oven could have been too hot. 1/8 teaspoon of salt is not very much, so they should not have been too salty.

      Reply

  • Abi
    September 5, 2022

    This is my second making them, and this time I accidentally did 3 egg whites instead of 2 and realized after they were in the oven. I cooked them 15 minutes longer and had to let them cool for a minute or two after taking them out before they would lift off the parchment paper. I thought they were ruined, but it gave them a really interesting texture, more like lucky charms marshmallows that anything. Everyone said they were much better this way than how it was before, but it was amazing both ways in my opinion.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      September 6, 2022

      So glad they were enjoyed, Abi! Thank you for the review.

      Reply

  • Katie Norton
    September 2, 2022

    I made these today for my daughter’s birthday party. Not only do they look fantastic, but they taste sooo good and were very easy to make! Thank you for another amazing recipe!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      September 3, 2022

      That’s wonderful. So glad they were enjoyed.

      Reply

  • karen
    December 23, 2021

    I’ve made loads of meringues, but this recipe makes the perfect amount for a Yule log. We made about 10 mushrooms and 10 trees. We were glad to not have a box full of meringues left over. Perfect!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 24, 2021

      I’m so glad this was a perfect amount, Karen! Merry Christmas!

      Reply

  • Ashley R.
    December 23, 2021

    Just made these to go without Yule log tomorrow and the recipe was very simple and I felt so professional making them! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 23, 2021

      Aren’t they the best! Merry Christmas!

      Reply

  • Evelyn
    December 6, 2021

    Hi Natasha,

    Is there any reason you beat the egg whites with the sugar right from the start as opposed to first beating the whites and then slowly adding the sugar?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 7, 2021

      Hi Evelyn, they need to incorporate well together. Both methods work well, but we found them best for this recipe!

      Reply

  • Tally
    January 14, 2021

    Do they honestly take 2 h 15 mins!?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      January 14, 2021

      Hi Tally, the baking takes time because you want them to dry out fully. It’s not a ton of active time.

      Reply

  • Sara
    December 27, 2020

    I made these for my Yule Log cake this Christmas. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out amazingly! They taste like a marshmallow cookie! Definitely a new family favourite

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 27, 2020

      Hi Sara. I’m glad to hear that you loved it! Thank you for sharing that with us.

      Reply

  • Janice
    December 22, 2020

    Hi Natasha, can i know why the surface of my mushroom turn sticky after it cool down

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 22, 2020

      Hi Janice, do you live in a humid place? If there is too much humidity in the air or if they are refrigerated, they will become sticky. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • HV Mom
    December 25, 2019

    Perfect. No fuss. Thank you! Merry Christmas

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 26, 2019

      Merry Christmas!

      Reply

  • Oksana
    December 9, 2018

    can I use pack of egg white from Costco, to make meringue?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 10, 2018

      Hi Oksana. I haven’t tried this with pre-packaged egg whites. Our readers have tried that in another recipe and stated they didn’t work out that great.

      Reply

  • Vicki Behrens
    October 16, 2018

    I’m going to make these to put on my son’s rustic wedding cake next month (Nov.) How long can I keep these if I make them ahead of time? Can’t wait to do this birch bark cake for him.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 16, 2018

      Hi Vicki! I haven’t kept them more than three days so I can’t say. They were need to be stored in a dry airtight container so that they don’t get sticky from moisture

      Reply

  • Kim
    January 22, 2018

    Can you paint with food color?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 22, 2018

      Hi Kim, I honestly have not tried, You might experiment with one but go light on the color since too much moisture (even from color), can soften meringue.

      Reply

  • Jody
    June 29, 2016

    I made these last Sunday to do a dry run for my daughters wonderland party. I live on the Florida coast and wasn’t sure if they would keep with humidity, however I put little silica gel packs in the plastic container on the counters and they have stayed perfectly crisp for three days!

    So pleased with how they turned out.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 29, 2016

      Oh that’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂

      Reply

  • Natasha @ Salt & Lavender
    December 28, 2015

    It’s https://twitter.com/saltandlavender Hope your Christmas was fab!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 29, 2015

      Those are awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply

  • Mary
    December 25, 2015

    I’ve been making these for over 40 years, and you’re right… they’re the perfect decoration for a yule log, and everyone loves them. I often put out a basket of them, next to the yule log, just as a little ‘cookie’ to go with each slice. But note that, if you’re making these in advance, it’s even better to use more meringue and do a second ‘bake’ when you glue the two parts together (instead of the melted chocolate). It will make the meringues stay crisp much longer (even though you lose the taste of the chocolate.)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 25, 2015

      That is a great idea about “gluing” them together with meringue. I hadn’t thought of that! 🙂 Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂

      Reply

    • Natalia Oleshko
      November 22, 2018

      Hi ladies, I’m planning to make these today, for a party next week. Can you please clarify what ‘second bake’ means? How do I keep them crunchy longer?

      Reply

  • Mariana
    December 22, 2015

    Just made them and when they cool down started be sticky
    Do you know why?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 23, 2015

      Hi Mariana, do you live in a humid place? If there is too much humidity in the air or if they are refrigerated, they will become sticky. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Tania @ COOKTORIA
    December 17, 2015

    Wow! These are the cutest little cookies ever! 😋

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 17, 2015

      Thank you so much Tania 🙂

      Reply

  • Natasha @ Salt and Lavender
    December 16, 2015

    Natasha! These are adorable. Reminds me of the marzipan mushrooms my mom makes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another recipe online for Xmas cookie type mushrooms. Well done!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 16, 2015

      Marzipan mushrooms sound really interesting too and super creative! I’d love to see them if you have a picture posted somewhere! 🙂

      Reply

      • Natasha @ Salt and Lavender
        December 17, 2015

        I don’t think any photos exist. I will see if I remember to snap one when my mom makes them 🙂 I am thinking next year for the blog I need to get more organized and make my mom’s snowball cookies and marzipan mushrooms. I’m not much of a baker, thus the hesitation this year. I will figure it out eventually…

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          December 17, 2015

          I will look forward to them when you do post them 🙂

          Reply

          • Natasha @ Salt & Lavender
            December 26, 2015

            Natasha – I took a photo of my mom’s cookies (including the mushrooms) and put it on my Twitter if you’re interested in seeing them. Hopefully next Christmas I will put the recipe up on my blog. Hope you had a lovely Christmas!!

          • Natasha
            natashaskitchen
            December 26, 2015

            Natasha, what is your Twitter handle? I’ll love to check it out.

  • Sulamita
    December 15, 2015

    What do they taste like? Are they really sweet?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 15, 2015

      There is half a cup of sugar for about 30+ cookies, so no they really aren’t too sweet.

      Reply

  • Coco in the Kitchen
    December 15, 2015

    Adorable!
    So clever!
    I have to try making these.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 15, 2015

      Aren’t they sweet? Thanks so much Coco! 🙂

      Reply

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