Baiserringe – edible Christmas tree decorations

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Looking for some simple decorations for your Christmas tree that you can also eat? Urvashi shows how these Baiserringe – German meringues that are fun to make and look very cute, too.

First published in 2015

My children are now eleven and nine so I have a boxful of Christmas tree decorations they have made at school. On top of these my husband and I give them a new one each year. They get so excited when the box comes down from the loft. They remember the reasons each one was made or bought – a ballet figurine one year because they were obsessed with their pink tutus, a star made from handprints on card at a school fair, reindeer baubles from a visit to Lapland and the list goes on. The morning is filled with ‘do you remember…?’

There are so many memories in the box and as we talk through them I get rather emotional and tearful at the thought that one day they’ll be doing this in their own home and all their little decorations will be no more on our tree.

This year I have decided to make edible ornaments as I’d like to put a recipe in their boxes. Perhaps they’ll enjoy making them with their own children one day. I opted for these little wreaths made with meringue. They are from Germany and are called Baiserringe.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 150g of caster sugar
  • food colouring, optional
  • sprinkles, optional

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 100°C and line a few baking trays with greaseproof paper. Draw circles on the baking paper to the size of your choice – I used an espresso saucer. You could make stars or hearts also
2
Break the egg whites into a super-clean bowl and then using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld electric whisk, beat them until they form soft peaks. You should be able to tip the bowl over and they should stay put
3
Then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is shiny and glossy. At this stage you could split the mixture and add a few drops of food colouring of your choice to make different coloured rings
4
Next transfer the mixture carefully into the piping bag. Gently does it because you need to try and keep the lovely air you’ve whisked in
5
Now pipe small blobs using the circles you drew as a guide. Carry on until all the meringue is used up. If you are using sprinkles, now is the time to sprinkle them over
6
Place the trays in the oven with the door slightly ajar. I wedged the door open with two wooden spoons. Bake for about 40 minutes, they should be firm to touch on the outside
7
Now turn the oven off and leave the meringue rings in the oven for another 40 minutes so they crisp up without burning
8
Once cool you can decorate with edible glitter and tie a loop of ribbon for popping them onto the tree
First published in 2015

Urvashi finds food, baking, cooking and eating a therapeutic relief from every day work and family life.

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