How to Make Meringue Mushrooms

Whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping until the whites hold soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar so that it does not sink to the bottom, and continue whipping until the mixture holds stiff shiny peaks.

Place a round tip into a decorating bag, and fill the bag with some meringue. To pipe the mushroom caps, squeeze out round mounds of meringue onto one of the prepared cookie sheets. Pull the bag off to the side to avoid making peaks on the top. For the stems, press out a tiny bit of meringue onto the other sheet, then pull the bag straight up. Do not worry about making all of the pieces exactly the same. 

Bake for one hour in the preheated oven. The caps should be dry enough to easily remove from the cookie sheets. Set aside to cool completely.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between heatings to help it melt evenly.

Spread chocolate over the bottom of the cap. Dip the tip of a stem in chocolate, and press lightly into the bottom of the cap. When the chocolate sets, they will hold together. Repeat with remaining pieces. Sprinkle with a light dusting of cocoa powder.

Store at room temperature in a dry place or tin.

For whimsical, red-capped mushrooms, do not add any cocoa powder to the recipe and use a small brush to paint the tops of baked mushrooms with the red food coloring.