Name: Cremini Meringue Mushrooms
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 4 hours
Yield: Makes about 25 meringue mushrooms
Ingredients: 3 large egg whites; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; Pinch of salt; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Hershey's; not Dutch-process); 3 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, melted (see Cooks' notes); Stand mixer; large pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain round tip; 2 large baking sheets; small offset spatula (optional, but helpful)

Mushrooms made from meringue are the traditional edible decoration for a Yule log cake, and their cute quotient is high—they never fail to charm young and old alike. Saying they're edible is like calling a chocolate truffle edible; if you love crisp meringue, you'll adore the crunchy, airy contrast the mushrooms provide for our creamy Tiramisu Yule Log cake. Classically they're made from a white meringue, but we couldn't resist coloring ours with a little added cocoa to make the mushrooms look like cremini or baby bellas.

Cooks' notes:

•To melt chocolate, finely chop it then put it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power for short intervals (about 30 seconds), stirring after each interval, until smooth. Or, melt finely chopped chocolate in a dry metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
•Meringue mushrooms can be made 1 day ahead and kept between sheets of wax paper in airtight cookie tins.

Recipe notes

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