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.
Robin Royer
Do you know if we could substitute Truvia baking blend sugar to save on calories?
Sam
Hi Robin! I have not tried it, but it could work. I don’t know if I would do a straight substitution either.
Sharon
Can u pit extra batter in fridge to bake later
Sam
Hi Sharon! I would be worried that the batter would deflate, so I don’t recommend it.
James Brozek
I added fine chopped pecans!
I could bathe in this stuff.
Sam
🤣 I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, James! 🙂
Kevin
Sorry if I’m missing this somewhere in the recipe or the comments, but how many does this usually make? I’m trying to figure out if I need to make a larger batch.
Sam
Hi Kevin! It should make about 40 meringues. 🙂
Denise Patterson
I made these and they were so delicious!! But mine ended up on the brown side not white like yours. Did I over cook them? Or was it the vanilla extract?
Sam
Hi Denise! They could have been overcooked or the oven temperature could have been a little too high. The vanilla extract won’t really change the color unless you use a lot of it. 🙂
Laurie Herold
Would like to make for a party in late May. Can these be frozen? If not, how long can they be stored in an air tight container? Thank you!0
Sam
Hi Laurie! You should be able to freeze them, but they must be stored in an air tight container to avoid them collecting any moisture. You would want to bake them, let them cool completely and then freeze. Make sure to separate the meringues in layers with wax paper so they don’t freeze together. Enjoy! 🙂
Dina
If I can’t use cream of tartar, I know you can usually sub vinegar or lemon juice for the same results. Have you tried it with either and, if so, do you know the substitution ratio?? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Dina! I know people have done it with success, but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know the substitution ratio. I’m sorry. 🙁
Crash
From what I know, it’s double the lemon juice vs cream of tartar. (So this 1/2 tsp of CoT would be replaced with 1 tsp lemon juice.)
Kelly
Hi Dina, I made this recipe with lemon juice and it came out great! You should use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe.
Dina
Thanks Kelly!
Enosha
Hi Sam
I need some advice before I attempt to make these for my daughter’s party.
I want to try and do a blobby design ( Hotel Transylvania) . Any advice on the piping ? I’m a complete novice with baking . So pls be detailed.
Thanks
Sam
Hi Enosha! I don’t think it would be a problem piping it in a “blobby” design, however I am not quite sure what tip you would need to use etc. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a decorator, but maybe someone else can chime in. 🙂
KimJ
I just made some and used a Ziploc bag and snipped the end. You can get a good blob shape from that LOL
Laura
These Meringue Cookies are perfect! They are my go to cookies, as they are easy to make and delicious!
I add 1/2 of a bag of mini-chocolate chips, and after piping 1/2 the batch, I then add lemon extract. My kids like the vanilla flavor and my husband loves the lemon chocolate.
Thanks for this great recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Laura! Those sound like some wonderful additions! 🙂
Dianne
I made these for my daughter’s birthday treat at school and they turned out wonderfully. I found that baking at 225F wasn’t enough for my oven. They were still quite chewy even after an hour of baking and 2 hours setting. So I increased the temp to 250 and baked another 30 minutes before resting again. This time they were perfect. Next time I want to try using coconut sugar and finely chopped toasted pecans for a slightly healthier version that I’ll call “praline” so my daughter will still eat them 🙂
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Dianne! 🙂
Oma
How can I make these with chocolate?
When my kids were teenagers I bought these from the grocery store. All of the neighborhood kids loved them as well.
I would buy different flavors and would like to make them for my grandson now.
Sam
Hi Oma! I actually have a double chocolate meringue that you can use. 🙂
Bibi
Meringue cookies are a family favorite. I’ve tried this with ½ C of butterscotch chips and a few drops of butterscotch flavor and it is a huge hit!
Sam
They don’t last long around here either! I like the sound of a little bit of butterscotch topping them off! 🙂
Cake-a-cola
I tried them and I started to make them at 7 and looked at the time and it was late so I just left them to cool overnight me and my dad were so suprised!
Alyssa
I followed this recipe nearly to a t, and it came out fairly well. I haven’t ever made (or eaten) meringues before, so I am just guessing that they turned out as they should. I ended up adding orange extract, and ended up adding doubling the amounts to get what I wanted. They did end up with some cracks as they cooled, but I think it was because I took them out before they were completely cool. I think the cracks make them look homemade? (That is what I am telling myself…)
Sam
Hi Alyssa! I am so glad you enjoyed them! If you pull the meringues out before they are ready, and they cool too quickly they will crack. 🙂
Karen
I just attempted these, I am know patiently waiting for the cool and and to be able to open the door and look at them!!! They are smelling amazing I added both 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and maple.
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂