Rich chocolate ganache and cool peppermint make a merry combination, especially at holiday time. To get stripes on the meringues, you pipe the cookies with a pastry bag painted with red food coloring.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 5 dozen

　　

for the meringues

3 large egg whites

　　3/4 cup sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

　　Red gel-paste food coloring

　　

for the ganache

1 cup heavy cream

　　6 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 175°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22).

　　

Step 2

Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.

　　

Step 3

Using a new small paintbrush, paint two or three stripes of red gel-paste food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

　　

Step 4

Meanwhile, make ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to hold its shape, about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; repeat the cooling process.)

　　

Step 5

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5) with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of one meringue. Sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to wire racks; let set 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

　　

How to Pipe Peppermint Meringues

Step 6

Use a new small paintbrush to brush two or three evenly spaced stripes of gel-paste food coloring along the length of the inside of a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip. Fill the bag with meringue, and pipe star shapes onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Each time you refill the bag with meringue, paint new stripes inside.

　　Martha Stewart's Cookies