Vegan Meringue Mushroom Cookies
These cute vegan meringue mushroom cookies are a fun and festive addition to any Holiday Menu.
Serve them for dessert, appetizer, or use them as a center piece. They will deliver! Happy Holidays!
If you love making handmade sweet treats, try these vegan raspberry truffles or my almond strawberry bites, dipped in carob or chocolate.
Why you’ll love these vegan meringue mushroom cookies
- Unique texture: The use of aquafaba creates a light and airy texture in the cookies, similar to traditional meringue cookies.
- Customizable: The recipe can be adapted to include different flavors and colors, such as adding lemon extract to the meringue, or filling the mushroom caps with different types of frosting or ganache.
- Creative baking: Making these cookies requires some creativity and skill, which can be a fun and rewarding experience for those who love to bake and experiment with new recipes.
Ingredients and substitution notes
- Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans and is used as an egg white substitute in this recipe.
- Fresh lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is used in this recipe to help stabilize the aquafaba and create a fluffy meringue texture.
- Salt: Salt is added to the meringue to enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness of the sugar.
- Sugar: All natural cane sugar blended in a vita mix is used in this recipe to sweeten the meringue.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract is used to add flavor to the meringue. You can also use other extracts, such as almond, lemon, or peppermint, for a different flavor profile. You will have to adjust the amount as extracts have a strong flavor.
Top tips for making Vegan Meringue Mushroom Cookies
- If using icing to attach the tops to the stem, you want to be careful that the icing is not wet, as it will soften the cookie. So use very little liquid in the icing. If using melted carob chips, add a little coconut oil to make it more spreadable.
- To assemble the mushrooms, make a little hole in the cap, fill with melted carob (or chocolate) and attach the stem. Let the carob set before serving. Dust with carob powder for a realistic look. For the dirt I used, Roma, a coffee substitute
- Use a clean, dry bowl: It’s important to use a clean, dry bowl when whisking the aquafaba to create the meringue. Any moisture or grease in the bowl can prevent the meringue from forming properly.
- Use a piping bag: Using a piping bag with a round tip makes it easier to pipe the mushroom caps and stems onto the baking sheet. It also helps to create a consistent shape and size.
- Let the cookies cool completely before assembling It’s important to let the mushroom meringue cookies cool completely before decorating them. If they’re still warm, the frosting or ganache will melt and slide off.
- Be creative with decorations: The mushroom meringue cookies can be decorated in many ways. You can use frosting, vegan ganache, or melted chocolate to create the mushroom caps and stems, and add details like spots or stripes with food coloring or candy melts. Get creative and have fun with it!
How to storage Vegan Meringue Mushroom Cookies
Storage tips:
Once the mushroom meringue cookies are baked and cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
FAQs
Can I make mushroom meringue cookies without aquafaba?
Unfortunately, no. The use of aquafaba is key to making vegan meringue cookies. It mimics the texture and behavior of egg whites, and allows you to create a stable meringue that can be whipped into peaks and baked into cookies.
How can I prevent my mushroom meringue cookies from becoming too soft or sticky?
Meringue cookies are sensitive to humidity, so it’s important to store them in a dry, cool place. Avoid storing them in the refrigerator, as this can cause them to become soft and sticky.
Also, be sure to let the cookies cool completely before storing them, as any residual heat can cause them to become soft.
Wrapping it up
These little vegan mushroom meringues are so so cute. Make up a batch for a kids party, as a little element in a pretty dessert or as a gift for a friend.
If you try this recipe out, please comment below and let me know what you thought!
Vegan Meringue Mushroom Cookies
Description
These cute vegan meringue mushroom cookies are a fun and festive addition to any Holiday Menu.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Aquafaba (liquid from one can of garbanzo beans)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sugar, (all natural cane sugar blended in vita mix)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 F
- Drain the liquid from the can of garbanzo beans. (Set aside garbanzo beans for other use such as my favorite hummus recipe).
- Pour liquid into a standing mixer. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt. Using the whisk attachment, whip the garbanzo liquid on high speed until mixture is frothy.
- Add the vanilla and sugar, a spoonful at a time, while whipping on medium speed.
- Once all the sugar is added, whip on high again until stiff peaks form.
- When the peaks of the meringue can stand straight up, it is ready to be piped into the shape you desire. See video for details.
- Bake at 200 F for 60-90 minutes, or until they are completely crisp, but not brown. I like to take a cookie out of the oven and let it sit for a minute or so to see if it hardens, if it does not fully harden bake the cookies a little longer.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- To assemble the mushrooms, make a little hole in the cap, fill with melted carob (or chocolate) and attach the stem. Let the carob set before serving. Dust with carob powder for a realistic look. For the dirt I used, Roma, a coffee substitute.
Notes
- If using icing to attach the tops to the stem, you want to be careful that the icing is not wet, as it will soften the cookie. So use very little liquid in the icing. If using melted carob chips, add a drop of coconut oil to make it more spreadable.
My mushroom cookies are in the oven! Can’t believe how well the aquafaba worked. Would love to see it used in coconut macaroons. Do you have a recipe for such? Kim
How exciting! Thank you for trying the recipe! Coconut macaroons is a great idea, I will work on that! Hope you enjoy the recipe:)
Chef Ani have you ever made a lemon meringue pie. That had always been one of my favorite pies. When we decided to go dairy free I haven’t seen or had a lemon meringue pie for a long time I’m no cook or anything like that but I was wondering if you could use lemon pudding in a pie crust and add this as a meringue topping. I don’t know how the pudding would survive the baking in the oven. Do you have a vegan recipe for a lemon meringue pie?
Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie is a fantastic suggestion! Yes, I think aquafaba would make a great meringue topping for the pie. I will work on finalizing a recipe and posting it in the future! Thank you so much for your suggestion! I am excited!
Hei Chef Ani!
Nå har jeg prøvd disse søte små soppene! Helt fantastisk!
Veldig kjekt å se på dine YouTube’s
Klem fra fine Hardanger i Norge
Tror ikke jeg kan sende et bilde her!?
Så koselig å høre fra deg. Tusen takk for hilsnen fra Hardanger. Det er et vakkert sted. Glad at soppene ble bra. ?
Hi! I really would love your step by step vegan sponge cake please.
I see your wedding cakes and wonder how it look inside and the taste.
Please can you share your recipe? My vegan cakes do not always come out the best.
Oh and French macaroon please with the exact measurements
Hi Sandy! Thank you so much for your comment! Here is a link to one of my cake recipes. I am planning to come out with some more cake recipes soon.
Hi love, do they keep well for some days? Or is it better to make and eat them just in the moment? Planning ahead if I could make some and leave them ready for christmas… So waiting to hear what do you think!!
Thanks love, big big hug xx
Good question! The meringue parts of these mushrooms last well for several days. It is a little tricker if you use chocolate or icing to attach the top to the stem. I would suggest making the meringue parts ahead of time, and then attaching them just a short while before serving. The dryer the icing and chocolate or carob “glue” the better. Meringue absorb moisture. I hope this is helpful. Thank you for your support and for trying my recipes. Merry Christmas!
Fabulous!
Thank you! We love these festive meringue mushrooms. Merry Christmas!