A classic recipe for meringue cookies! These little meringues only call for 5 ingredients, and at under 25 calories a pop they are easily the lightest recipe on my blog! The technique takes a little bit of practice, and a long time in the oven, but I’ll walk you through the steps in the recipe so that you can make your own perfect meringues!
Sweet & Simple Meringue Cookies
I have another recipe for your holiday cookie tray today — classic meringue cookies!
Meringues only require 5 ingredients to make, but they can be a little bit finicky — even the weather can affect them. Winter is a great time to try them out, as you’re much less likely to have a very humid day this time of year, and humidity is one of the greatest nemesis of meringue cookies.
I’ve been making this recipe over and over again the past few months to make sure that I understood all of the ins and outs of making perfect meringue cookies, and I’m finally ready to share what I’ve learned with you, so that you too can make these addictive little meringue cookies.
If you’ve never had one, meringues are light, airy cookies with crisp interiors. I’m sharing a classic vanilla meringue recipe today (with notes on how to add your own different flavors!). The taste always reminds me of marshmallow 😍.
Making Meringue: Stiff Peaks
This recipe calls for four egg whites and a single cup of sugar. That may not seem like it’s going to yield you very many meringues when you start, but you’ll be surprised by how much these ingredients increase in volume.
As you add the sugar, the mixture will become thick, glossy, and sticky, that’s exactly what you are looking for! You’ll also want the mixture to achieve stiff peaks — that’s how you’ll know that it’s done.
If you’ve made my angel food cake, whipped cream, or Swiss meringue buttercream before, then you’re already familiar with the concept of stiff peaks. It means that when you turn the batter over (like you can see in the image below with the meringue cookie batter), the peak that forms stands tall and does not fold back into itself. I’ve included a video in today’s post so you can see exactly how the meringue should look, in case you haven’t ever made meringue before.
Tips for No-Fail Meringue Cookies
- Make sure that the bowl and beater that you are using to beat your meringue is completely grease and moisture free. Any moisture can ruin your meringues.
- Crack your eggs in a separate bowl when separating the whites. Even a tiny bit of yolk can ruin your meringues, so crack each egg in a small bowl before adding it to the bowl that you will be mixing the meringue batter in.
- Add the sugar gradually, one Tablespoon at a time, and give it a chance to dissolve before adding more.
- You can test that the sugar is completely absorbed by taking a small bit of the batter and rubbing it between your fingers — if it’s not, it’ll feel gritty.
- Don’t stop until you get stiff peaks. The batter will take several minutes, at least, of beating to achieve stiff peaks, but keep going. It will increase in volume and be very thick and glossy — that’s what you’re looking for! See the photo above or the video for a visual.
- Don’t over-beat your batter, either! Once you hit stiff peaks, stop! You can stir in your extract and any food coloring at this point, but don’t push it because over-beating the batter is just as bad as not beating it enough.
- If you’ve found that your meringues have gotten soft after you finished baking them, you can actually pop them back in the oven at 225F for another 10-20 minutes (watch them, if they begin to turn golden brown around the edges turn off the heat immediately) and then let them cool in the oven for another hour, this has always worked for me with meringues that start to get chewy.
Adding Color and Other Flavoring
Once you get the hang of making meringues, feel free to play with lots of different flavors and colors — I made these Peppermint Bark Meringues by adding ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, striping the piping bag with red food coloring (I used a clean paintbrush that I only use for baking), and dipping the baked, cooled meringue cookies in dark chocolate and crushed peppermint pieces!
Enjoy!
More Christmas Treats You Might Like:
Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract¹
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225F (105C) and line a large cookie sheet (or two regular-sized cookie sheets -- make sure they will fit in your oven together) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large, completely clean, completely grease-free bowl².4 large egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer (with either the whisk or paddle attachment), stir on low speed until mixture becomes foamy.
- Increase speed to high.
- With mixer on high, gradually add sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Beat until mixture is thick, shiny, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved (you can test this by rubbing a small bit of the mixture between your fingers, if it feels gritty, the sugar isn't dissolved).
- Stir in vanilla extract and any other extract you may like to use. If using food coloring, add the food coloring at this stage, too.1 teaspoon vanilla extract¹
- Fit a large disposable piping bag with a large tip (I used Ateco 846, but any large star tip will work or you can just snip the edge of the piping bag for a “kiss” formation) and transfer meringue to prepared piping bag and pipe onto prepared cookie sheet. The meringue cookies can be pretty close to each other as they won’t spread, and you will want to bake all of the cookies at the same time, so make sure you make enough space.
- Bake on 225F (105C) for 1 hour. Turn off the oven once the baking time has passed, and do not open the oven. Leave the oven door closed and allow cookies to cool completely in the oven (1-2 hours) before removing.
- Meringue cookies should be crisp and can be stored in an airtight container. Keep away from heat and moisture as it can soften your meringues.
Notes
Recipes to use those leftover egg yolks:
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
judy
can you add food coloring
Sam
Hi Judy! You can add food coloring. Step 7 gives you guidance for doing so. 🙂
Aim Rizal
tq for the recipe…easy to understand.
Tristan Trezise
So easy to make and so quick, they were so delicious and it was like biting into a cloud, much enjoyed!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Tristan! 🙂
Xochi
I decided on a whim to try making meringue cookies for the first time in my life (I had 4 egg whites left over from a hollandaise sauce and thought what the heck). It was raining outside, my three year old “helped” and I’m by no means an expert baker, but I followed this recipe to the t as closely as life allowed me to and the meringues turned out PERFECTLY. Crispy, light, sweet, and mine had a slight chew at the center which I LOVE. Thanks for posting this recipe, it was a delightful surprise for my family and I. 💕
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the meringues. 🙂
Becca
Hi. So I tried making merengues with your recipe and it was really helpful! But my batter came out way too liquidy and they didn’t form. Why is that?
Sam
Hi Becca! Is it possible the whites weren’t whipped all the way to stiff peaks or that they were over-mixed?
Carol
Which position oven rack?
Sam
Middle. Enjoy!
Wendy
Hi, I made these cookies and they were great! Thanks for the recipe. The only thing, they weren’t as white as yours, they were pretty browned on the edges. I baked according to your directions left them in the oven after baking (without opening) for an additional hour (not the 2). Any suggestions on why they browned on the edges? Thanks in advance!
Sam
Hi Wendy! Could your oven be running a little hot? Or if you piped the cookies much smaller that might have done it, too. I hope that helps but I’m happy to help troubleshoot further!
Jo
Hi!
How big should I make them so they won’t brown?
Sam
Hi Jo! I make the base about an inch and a half in diameter. 🙂
JoAnn
Best (and most straightforward) recipe for meringues. Got them all piped on one sheet and left them in the oven for the entire three hours. I’ve tried so many recipes where the oven door is propped oven for the cooling period; but these meringues were just so crispy perfect. My kind of recipe: I need meringues. Perfect!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Joann! 🙂
Jessica K.
Do you think that it’s better to use a mixer or make it by hand?
Sam
Hi Jessica! It would be very very difficult to do this mixing it by hand. 🙂
Gila
When you say stir the flavoring in do you mean by hand or with an electric mixer?
Sam
I use the mixer, but if you want to do it by hand, you can. 🙂
Morgan
The meringues taste delicious! So happy I found this recipe they were a little bit gooey but I left them in the oven a bit longer and they were ok! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Morgan! 🙂
Tracy
I’m mid bake right now! Can’t wait to taste them! Question – what do I do with the leftover batter for the next 2 hours? Can I put it on the fridge to use after this first batch comes out?
Sam
Hi Tracy! I have always baked it all at once, but I believe it will be ok in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Gail
Loved this recipe. Easy to follow, good instructions and my meringues turned out pretty and delicious.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them Gail! 🙂
Kristen
The best recipe I have found. Delicious and couldn’t keep them on the table this holiday season
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Kristen! 🙂
Marsela Bregu
Hi Kimberly,
I have tried your recipe for the very first time, my meringue cookies turned beautifully & delicious, very soft and shine too, all my friends and family enjoyed, thank you for this recipe, I will treasured it :).
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Marsela! 🙂