Meringue and Marshmellow Mushrooms

Here are two candy mushroom recipes with instruction I used both in decorating my yule log, the Meringue are more traditional but the marshmallow were inspired by my families love of marshmallow.

Meringue Mushrooms

2 egg whites 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 cup) powdered sugar Melted chocolate, for assembly Preheat oven to 225°F. Line baking sheet with baking parchment or wax paper. Beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add vanilla and beat in. Add sugar gradually, spoonful by spoonful, and continue to beat until the mixture is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue mixture into a plastic bag and cut off the corner to make a piping tip. Pipe out equal quantity of button shapes for the mushroom caps, and little blobs, like tall kisses, for the mushroom stalks. At this point you will want to wet your finger and pat down the peaks to smooth out the tops. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until crisp and dry. Remove and let cool. To assemble, spread the flat side of the mushroom caps with melted chocolate and attach the stalks. A tip for melting the chocolate, take the chips (or if using bars brake up into smaller pieces) place them in a plastic baggy and submerge the bag in a bowl of water. microwave the whole thing for a few minutes, then check it and microwave again of the chocolate is not melted. You can then just snip the tip off the bag and use it to "pipe" the melted chocolate on to what you are working on. Serve with coffee or tea anytime, or use to decorate Yule Log. Makes approx. 15-20 mushrooms, depending on size

Marshmallow Mushrooms

Large marshmallows powered sugar cocoa powder for dusting Heat a burner on the stove to medium high and skewer the marshmallow. You will want to hold the marshmallow over the heat such that the bottom half is very soft and melty with out browning or crisping too much. It should slightly bell out at the bottom as it melts. I found for best results you should rotate the marshmallow to get the sides and top just slightly melty. Take the now melty marshmallow and put it on a cool plate dusted with powdered sugar and press down on the less melted side squishing the marshmallow flat. be sure the sugar covers the now exposed gooey insides. Dust lightly with cocoa powder. When ready to decorate your yule log cut these in half and glue to the side of the log with frosting to create shelf mushrooms.