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.
Oda
I’m going to try these today, how long will I need to cook them if I make them half the size of yours? And how long will it take to dry?
Sam
Hi Oda! I don’t know an exact time, but it would definitely be less.
Konstansa
Thank you for sharing this recipe, Sam!
I am gonna try it later today and I am wondering where in the oven you bake them?
I tried made meringue cookies before and they turned brown very quick on the same temperature in the middle rack of the oven.
Sam
I bake my meringues in the middle rack, if they’re browning could it be that your oven temperature is running hotter than it’s leading on (I keep extra oven thermometers in my oven to watch for this) OR if you piped them very small that could also do it. I hope you love them!
Chloe
Thank you so much for the recipe! As a relatively inexperienced baker the detailed instructions were exactly what I needed, and they turned out amazing. Totally recommend this!
Sam
Thank you so much, Chloe! I am so glad you enjoyed the meringue cookies! 🙂
Sophie
I really appreciate how easy you made this recipe! Just tried it for the first time, they’re currently in the oven and I’m so excited, these are my absolute favorite cookies. Making them all the way in West Africa so I hope they turn out!
Sam
I hope you love them, Sophie!! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Leslie
First time baking them today ! For some reason mine had such a salty yet foamy finishing touch
Alexis
Omg I loved this recipe and the whole batch was gone in 2 days lol now I sound like a pig I love French baking and will definitely be using this recipe again ♥️
Janet
I’ve been making merangue with chocolate chips and pecans and calling them “forgotten cookies” for a long time. I hope that makes it easier to do the colorful vanilla flavored for a Frozen party.
Maxine
What if I use a sugar substitute, like Truvia?
Sam
I’m not familiar with baking with truvia, unfortunately, so I can’t advise. I’m hoping that someone else who has tried it can chime in!
Andria
My son is learning to bake. He asked “Why can’t the Pavlovas be crispy all the way through?” So, I’m teaching him to make his first meringue cookies today. 🙂 It’s a great recipe, we used almond extract and a bit of lemon juice to flavor them. Can’t wait until they cool.
Sam
I hope he loves them, Andria! 🙂
Kelly Smith
Awesome easy recipe! I have made it many times & they always turn out perfect. I just use my cookie scoop to save time.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the meringue cookies so much, Kelly! 🙂
Cammie
How long will they keep? And do I need to store them in the fridge?
Sam
Hi Cammie! They should last about a week at room temperature in an air tight container. 🙂
Claire Kuiper
How do I keep the merengues fresh and fluffy overnight?
Sam
Hi Claire! Keep them in an airtight container. If they are getting soft, see my Tips section in the post. I hope that helps!
Jennifer
I made these today, what a great recipe and easy to follow. I didn’t have cream of tartar however I did have and use lemon juice. The hardest part is waiting on them to dry out after they’ve baked lol. I let mine dry out for 2 hrs. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I’ll be making these again!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the meringues, Jennifer! Thank you for commenting!
Leisa
I’m making them late at night. Can I just leave them in the oven overnight?
Sam
Hi Leisa! Once you turn the oven off, you can just leave them in the oven with the door closed all night. 🙂
Trisha Wilkerson
Is there any high altitude variations
Sam
I’m sorry Trisha, I am not very familiar with high altitude baking. Maybe someone else can chime in to help. 🙂
Bailey
Well it be okay if i replace cream of tartar and salt with lemon? I’ve made meringues before but i dont remember the recipe and well i don’t use salt in it. And how much should i use of lemon juice?
Sam
I haven’t tried this replacement with lemon juice so unfortunately I can’t advise on that. You can leave out the salt, but it helps with the flavor.
Jennifer
It would be a teaspoon of lemon juice. I didn’t have cream of tartar either just add a pinch of salt.
Mishka
I’ve tried this recipe before and it worked! But this time I don’t have parchment paper, can I use aluminum foil instead?
Sam
Hi Mishka! I haven’t tried it myself, but I think it will work just fine. 🙂