Peppermint Meringues With Chocolate Filling Recipes

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the peppermint.
• Fold the top of a pastry bag fitted with a round tip over and down a few inches. Dip a paintbrush in the food coloring. Starting inside the pastry tip, brush a stroke of food coloring from the tip to the top of the bag. Repeat with 3 more evenly spaced strokes. Fill the bag with the meringue; try to spoon it directly into the center so as not to smudge the food coloring (though some smudging is inevitable). Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds of meringue spaced 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Open the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and shut the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until they are completely dry inside, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.

Steps:

• For the chocolate crust: Pulse the flour, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, oil and salt in a food processor until the texture of fine meal. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. If the dough doesn't hold together, add up to 2 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse again.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers. Freeze 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick spray.
• Pierce the bottom of the chilled dough all over with a fork. Line the dough with the foil, sprayed-side down, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is no longer glossy on the bottom, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until the mixture is melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Paint a thin layer of chocolate all over the bottom and sides of the crust. Let set at room temperature until the chocolate is hardened, about 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Put 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and sprinkle over the gelatin. Let sit until the gelatin is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, just until the gelatin and sugar are dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peppermint extract.
• Pour the gelatin mixture into a large bowl and stir in 2 cups cold water. Use a spoon to scoop away any bubbles at the surface. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, until the gelatin just begins to thicken and is the consistency of thin fruit jelly, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Pour the gelatin mixture into the crust and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• For the meringue: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.
• Add the granulated sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixing bowl and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar is completely dissolved (about 150 degrees F).
• Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the peppermint extract and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
• To assemble: Arrange the crushed peppermints around the edge of the pie. Cut into slices and top each with meringue, chocolate curls and more crushed peppermint.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22).
• Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
• Using a new small paintbrush, paint two or three stripes of red gel-paste food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to hold its shape, about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; repeat the cooling process.)
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5) with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of one meringue. Sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to wire racks; let set 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.
• Use a new small paintbrush to brush two or three evenly spaced stripes of gel-paste food coloring along the length of the inside of a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip. Fill the bag with meringue, and pipe star shapes onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Each time you refill the bag with meringue, paint new stripes inside.