This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Meringue snowmen
Ratio for meringue is the standard 1 egg : 2oz white castor sugar, method is also standard…. Whisk eggs on medium speed until they form stiff peaks (that’s when you tip the bowl over your head if you are very, very brave). Add the sugar a teaspoon at a time while whisking then turn the mixer up to max and whisk until all the sugar has dissolved (check by rubbing a small amount between finger and thumb – if you can still feel sugar, keep whisking).
Using a piping bag and large plain nozzle, pipe large and small blobs onto a baking sheet lined with lift-off paper, tamp down any unsightly spikes with a damp finger and cook for 4 – 5 hours in the simmering oven (or on a very low heat). Stick the heads and bodies together with a fairly stiff icing sugar/water mixture and decorate with melted chocolate and fondant icing coloured with appropriate food colouring. The flat snowmen are easier to pipe as you do it all in one go and keep the ‘head spike’ as a nose!