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.
Phil
I’ve been looking for a recipe to make meringues for a while. I’ve always bought them and they are amazing. Well I decided to go for it and for my first attempt I couldn’t be happier. Every part of this recipe and description were amazing. I’ve been dreaming of a lavender meringue for the longest time and that’s what I made. Mine did come out a little chewy but was not able to pop them back in the oven as it was dinner time and my fiancé and boys needed to be fed. Wondering why they would be chewy? Less sugar or a higher temp on the oven? I am looking forward to trying it again and other recipes of yours.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Phil! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the meringue cookie recipe. The lavender flavor sounds delightful. To answer your question, there are so many factors that could have caused your meringue cookies to be “chewy” it is hard to pinpoint just one. Weather and moisture in the air is a common one. If they seem sticky or chewy, I would suggest baking them for 10 minutes at 200 degrees to restore crispness. Regardless, I am glad they taste delicious! 🙂
Mi
Best meringue i’ve ever made!! I made it with lemon, omg so goooood! 10/10
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that they turned out so wonderfully, Mi! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Michelle
I loved the recipe. So easy to make and they come out nicely. I had a few that cracked when I took them out of the oven. Why would that be? Anyway I loved them for sure making them again!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you loved this recipe, Michelle! Meringue cookies are a delicate treat. There are so many reasons that could cause meringue cookies to crack. If only a few cracked then I would say it could be how they were removed from the cookie sheet. If all of them cracked, it could be that your oven temperature may be running too high, or your eggs were too old and did not hold the air bubbles as well. So many reasons… Let me know how your next batch turns out. 🙂
Wilma
I don’t have the patch paper,will this be a prob?Closest I have could possibility be is the brown paper towels or a better idea !!!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Wilma! Parchment paper makes clean up a breeze, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can just bake the cookies directly onto the cookie sheet. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Michaela Schultz
Trying them for the first time. I never used a piping bag before. Boy did I have a mess but what fun. I’ve always wanted to make them but felt a bit intimidated. Now I can’t wait to try other flavors! Can I use can’t extract flavors?
So glad I found this recipe!!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you decided to try this meringue cookie recipe, Michaela! After a few attempts, you will become a piping bag pro. This recipe is wonderful to use with various extracts. I have had people use lemon, peppermint, raspberry… I can’t wait to hear what you conquer next. Happy Baking! 🙂
Michaela Schultz
My husband never had these before and I must say he is now hooked!!! All the ones I made yesterday are gone! Making more today!
Sugar Spun Run
I love it, Michaela! Happy Baking. 🙂
Janie Weidner
Try substituting flavored cotton candy sugar (GFS) instead of regular sugar. YUM cotton candy meringues. Tons of flavors, variety pack of flavors available on Amazon. cheap.
Sugar Spun Run
YUM, that does sound amazing, Janie! I will have to try it for sure! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Stacey
Im going right now to get that sugar!
Molly
How would I add cocoa for a chocolate meringue?
Heather
Great, easy to follow recipe! We doubled the recipe and divided the batter into fourths. Added 1/2 tsp extract to each (vanilla, coconut, raspberry, lemon). We all agreed that the coconut was the yummiest. Had a hard time getting the sugar to dissolve completely but didn’t really affect the outcome too much. Thanks for sharing!
Sugar Spun Run
I love the meringue cookie flavors you tried, Heather! They all sound delicious! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Cat
What if i don’t have cream of tarter ??
Sam
Hi Cat, I am not sure how they would turn out without cream of tartar. I know that some people have tried making these meringues using a substitution of a bit of lemon juice but i have not tried it myself.
E
Mine turned out great with lemon juice!
Stacey
Lemon juice, (which can also be used in place of cream of tartar in royal icing) or vinegar can be substituted for cream of tartar.
Sherry
These are in the oven now 🙂 These piped beautifully! We used banana flavoring in ours and going to dip bottoms in chocolate ganache
Sam
I hope everyone loves the meringues! The banana flavoring dipped in chocolate sounds excellent. 🙂
Shontina
First timer making these today and the whole house loved them!
Sam
Yay! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the meringues, Shontina! 🙂
Jill
I recall having a raspberry flavored meringue with chocolate chips in it as a kid. I’m wondering if you would make that the same way and just substitute raspberry extract for the vanilla and add chocolate chips just before piping? Curious if you have any recommendations. Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jill! Yes, that should work just fine. I recommend using mini chocolate chips. My only concern is that you won’t be able to pipe them. You may just have to use a spoon to place on the cookie sheet. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Teresa Holmes
I always add mini chocolate chips to mine. I just don’t use a tip in my piping bag. I want to try banana extract now too.
Sugar Spun Run
Mini chocolate chips are a favorite of mine too. Teresa! I have never tried banana extract myself but it sounds delicious. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Bobbie
I’ve used this recipe dozens of times in dozens of flavors. It works like a charm and I always get compliments. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for commenting, Bobbie! I am so glad that you have enjoyed the meringue cookie recipe. 🙂
Nicole
This was my first time making them and trying them! They turned out great! I work in a residential group home and almost everyone loved them! I want to make some fancier ones dipped in chocolate with sprinkles for my daughter’s birthday so this was a good test run!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear the meringues were such a hit, Nicole! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how they turned out, I really appreciate it 🙂
Tali
I took the cookies out of the oven after the our of cooking, let them sit for about 25 minutes, and they were fine. Very delicious! My dad insisted we make some with carob, so I added about 1 1/2 tsp carob to 2 cups of meringue batter. Thank you for the recipe.
Sam
You’re very welcome, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the meringues, Tali! 🙂