Meringue Mushrooms Recipe

Directions:

1. Early in day or up to one week ahead:
2. Lightly grease and flour large cookie sheet
3. In small bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Sprinkl in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition until sugar is dissolved; beat in almond extract. (Whites should stand in stiff, glossy peaks.)
4. Spoon meringue into large decorating bag with large writing tube. Pipe meringue onto cookie sheet into 30 mounds, each about 11/2 inches in diameter, to resemble mushroom caps. Pipe remaining meringue upright onto cookie sheet into thirty 11/4-inch lengths to resemble mushroom stems. Bake in 200°F. oven 13/4 hours. Turn oven off; let meringues stand in oven 30 minutes longer to dry. Cool completely on cookie sheet on wire rack.
5. With tip of small knife, cut a small hole into center of underside of mushroom cap. Place small amount of melted chocolate in hole; spread underside of cap with chocolate. Attach stem to mushroom cap by inserting pointed end of stem into hole in underside of cap; repeat with remaining caps and stems. Let chocolate dry, about 1 hour. Store mushrooms in tightly covered container. Just before serving, sprinkle tops of mushrooms lightly with cocoa. Makes 30 mushrooms.