Meringue Mushrooms

Have you ever gone foraging for mushrooms?

Check out this amazing haul I collected recently.

When I shared this photo with my Mum and (twin) sister, they both asked if they were actually safe to eat.

I admit, I pranked them a bit, by not disclosing right away that these are actually meringue mushrooms and entirely edible.

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They do look quite realistic, don’t they?

Trust me when I say my Mum and sister breathed an audible sigh of relief when I explained that I wasn’t out gathering and eating strange, unvetted wild mushrooms.

I think photographic these meringue mushrooms on a forest floor setting certainly helps with the realism.

Anyway, these meringue mushrooms are fun and really easy to make.

Start with the meringue.

Make sure you whip the meringue so that it’s super stiff enough for the peaks to stand upright without flopping over on the whisk.

Scroll further down in this post to see the full recipe I used.

(Also, if you love meringue desserts be sure to check out my grande Pavlova HERE.)

Spoon the meringue into a piping bag, fitted with a wide tip.

Cover baking trays with parchment paper.

Piping the mushroom tops is very similar to the technique used to pipe French Macarons (if you’ve ever tackled those).

On a separate tray, pipe the stems in a shape that resembles narrow ghosts. 

Use a sifter or sugar duster to generously sprinkle cocoa powder over the mushroom tops and stems.

Pop the tray in a preheated 225-degree oven for about 45-55 minutes.

You’ll know your meringues are done when you can lift them cleanly from the parchment paper.

Set aside and allow the tops and stems to cool completely.

Use a serrated knife to gently cut off the very tip of the stems.

This will create a flat surface to easily attach to the bottom of the mushroom tops.

Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to spread melted chocolate onto the bottom of the mushroom top.

Gently press the flat side of the stem into the chocolate and set aside for the assembled mushroom to harden.

Voila. How cute is that?

Told you these were easy to make.

These meringue mushrooms have the light but crunchy texture of sweet baked meringue.

The chocolate and cocoa powder not only helps with the look of realism, but also infuses a mild chocolaty flavor burst with every bite. 

The first time I made these, I doubled the recipe and because it was a tad humid, the meringue deflated before I could get to them all.

Keep that in mind when you decide whether to double batch or not.

If you need a ton of mushrooms, I recommend making separate, multiple batches of the meringue.

Make sure the air is fairly cool too (air conditioning or cool breeze from an open window) to prevent the meringue from drooping before you get these babies in the oven.

Regular readers of this blog already know, I love to gift my edible goodies.

These mushrooms package up beautifully too.

Handcraft a cute tag to go along with your mushroom-filled baggies and gift them to the mushroom lovers in your life.

(NOTE: I’ve used and loved these small alphabet stamps for more than a decade and you can find a set HERE.)

I think you’ll really enjoy making these (and gifting them too).

Think about how you might be able to incorporate these meringue mushrooms into your upcoming holiday dishes.

I plan to make a Yule cake log this year and these mushrooms are going to be the perfect adornment for it. 

I hope you give these realistic looking Meringue Mushrooms a try.

Thanks for popping by.

See you back here next time.♥