Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°F . Line large 14" x 20" baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Prep one piping bag if you are making just one of the cookie styles and two if making both. I use a Wilton 2D tip.
2. Using a stand mixer, add separated egg whites and cream of tartar into the mixing bowl. Using a whisking head, whip the egg whites on low speed and work up to high speed until it starts to foam. It should be a white frothy foam. See notes.
3. While still mixing, add in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Let the sugar fully mix in before adding another tablespoon. Continue to do this until all the sugar has been added, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Remember, the key is to do it slowly or you'll end up with lots of undissolved sugar crystals.
4. Continue mixing until the meringue is thick, glossy, and can hold a stiff peak. You can also test to see if all the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a bit of the meringue between your fingers. It should be nice and smooth with little to no gritty sugar granules.
5. Add in the vanilla and continue to mix until incorporated. If you want to add coloring to the entire mix to make your own designs, add it now. If you want to make the peppermint or Christmas tree cookies, follow the instructions below.
6. For the peppermint meringue cookies, use a skewer to add red gel streaks to the inside of the piping bag. See image. Then, take half the meringue and fill the bag, making sure there aren't any large air pockets.
7. Pipe 2" star shapes straight down onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue to pipe the stars about an 1" apart until all the meringue is used. Sprinkle on the crushed candy canes to the top of the stars. This gives it just enough peppermint flavor without being overbearing.
8. For Christmas trees, add a tiny bit of green gel to the remaining meringue. Mix. Keep adding coloring until you get the color you like. Place in the prepared piping bag, making sure there aren't any large air pockets. Use a back and forth method to create the tree. I go back and forth eight times, decreasing the width with each horizontal line, pulling up on the eighth stroke to make the top of the tree. Of course, you can make the tree smaller too.
9. Place baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let sit for another 1 - 2 hours without opening the oven to dry out. The cookie should sound hollow when tapped on the back. Note: if your oven runs high, the cookie will turn brown. You will need to lower the heat to 175 or 180. Just keep an eye on it. My suggestion is to use an oven thermometer to check for the correct temperature.