ELF HATS

2 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Few drops green or red food coloring
2/3 cup sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate, melted
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds
Candy sprinkles

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside.

Place egg whites in a large mixer bowl. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and food coloring to the egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating about 5 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

Spoon meringue into pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch round or grooved tip. Pipe small 1-inch-high mounds that end in an angled tip about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet.

Bake in a 300 degree F oven about 15 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

When cookies are cool, dip bottoms into melted chocolate, then into chopped nuts. Set on waxed paper until chocolate is firm. If desired, add a dot of colored icing to each tip or dip each tip in melted chocolate, then in candy sprinkles.

Makes 48 hats
Source: Cookies for Christmas by Jennifer Dorland Darling