Makes 12
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour
Ingredients
4 egg whites
250g (generous 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
50g (generous ½ cup) desiccated coconut
Red food colouring
Specialist equipment
2 piping (pastry) bags
1 large (12mm) star nozzle (tip) 1 (10mm) smooth nozzle (tip)
Method
Preheat the oven to 90degC.
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat with an electric whisk. Gradually mix in the sugar, whisking continuously, until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Place half the meringue mix in a separate bowl and add half the desiccated coconut. Gently fold in the coconut using a silicone spatula, taking care not to deflate the meringue. Add a few drops of red food colouring to the other half of the meringue mix and gently fold to incorporate.
Fill a piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle, with the red meringue mix. Fit the other piping bag with the smooth nozzle and fill with the coconut meringue mix.
Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment and pipe 12 discs of white meringue on to the paper, each measuring about 2.5cm in diameter. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Next, pipe the red meringue mix on top of each white disc to form the conical shape of Santa’s hat, ensuring the base of the hat is wider and it tapers at the top.
Finish off each hat with a little ball of piped white meringue to make the pompom. It is a little fiddly but you can add a little coconut to the pompom, if you like.
Bake in the preheated oven for an hour then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool with the door left ajar.
When the meringues are completely cool, remove.
TIP
These irresistible hats are best kept in a tin or airtight container.
THE BOOK
Christmas Treats, Guillaume Marinette, photography Sandra Mahut, Welbeck RRP$22.95
