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.
Emily
Every think worked perfectly. When I make pudding from scratch, I use 8 yolks!!! I’m am always looking for different things to do with the whites. Also, my 11 year old was able to do almost the whole thing herself. I’m sure she will be able to next time. Thanks for posting.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies, Emily! What a perfect way to use up your leftover egg whites. 🙂
Stephanie
Love and was super easy. If you add color does it hurt the batter? When is the best time?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies, Stephanie! If you wish to add coloring you will do so in Step 7. 🙂
Christopher
I just tried your recipe today -they finished cooling less than ten minutes ago. I had been really nervous to make meringue cookies for the first time because I know they can be finicky, but these came out PERFECT, exactly as I had hoped: crispy-crunchy but absolutely melt in your mouth. Thank you so much for sharing this super-helpful recipe + tips!
A couple notes for anyone else trying this recipe: My egg whites weren’t foaming as well as I’d liked (in the low-speed, pre-sugar stage) so I used more of a medium-low speed than ‘actual low’. But once I started adding the sugar, the batter behaved just like it was supposed to. I had also worried, because my piping skills aren’t the best and they ended up irregular in size, that they would cook irregularly too. (That was a bit silly, since you made it clear that big meringues and small meringues all take the same cook time.) Well, rest assured, big or small, perfect circle or lumpy pile, they were all baked just right. And finally, after the one hour of baking and one hour to cool, I taste-tested one to see if it needed that extra hour of cooling. It was still a bit chewy in the center for me, so I gave it another hour, and after that they were, as I said above, perfect-perfect-perfect. Don’t be afraid to taste-test, especially since everyone’s oven is different.
Once again, thank you for posting! I feel so accomplished, and my family is really enjoying these treats.
Sugar Spun Run
Congrats on making perfect cookies, Christopher! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed them! 🙂
Alyss
Recipe was perfect. I made small ones (about 2-3cm in diameter). I think the temperature was perfect as it didnt introduce browning. If I wanted them bigger and bit chewy inside, what should I change? Btw, I found the sugar ratio a bit too much, you can taste and reduce as needed (I tasted it raw to get an idea, dont eat too much coz its still raw but my tummy is fine so its totally safe.
Sam
Hi Alyss, if you want to make them bigger but chewy you can just pipe them larger and cook for the same amount of time indicated.
Miriam
Can this recipe be made with confectioners sugar??
Sam
Hi Miriam! I wouldn’t recommend it with this recipe, the cornstarch in the powdered sugar would most likely affect the consistency too much.
Sierra
Hi! I realised i do not have parchment paper and star-shaped tip…. is there anything else i can use to substitute either?
Sam
Hi Sierra! You can drop the cookies by spoonfuls onto the pan or pipe it from a ziploc bag with one of the corners snipped off. I think you would be OK to bake on an ungreased baking sheet, though you may need a spatula to gently pop the cookies off of the pan after baking.
Heather
I baked this recipe as a kid and it was not too hard! The eggs were fun to watch whip up! The only thing that I needed help with was separating the yolks and whites. Do you have any tips?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Heather! To separate my eggs, I break the shell into half over a bowl. Then, I transfer the yolk from one shell to the other, tilting the eggs back and forth and allowing the white to drip out of the shells and into the bowl. Once most of the whites have dripped out, I will then drop the yolk into a second bowl. I have done it so many times, I have gotten good. With some practice, I know you will too. I know others have used a plastic bottle and have sucked the egg yolk up or used an egg strainer to strain the egg whites out. I hope that gives you some ideas. 🙂
Heather
Thank you so, so, so, much! They came out of the oven a few minutes ago and they are so delicious! They taste like marshmallows! I’m so impressed!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Heather! 🙂
Morayo A.
A fool proof way to separate eggs is to crack them into a bowl, and carefully scoop the yolks out with your hands. The white should fall through the cracks of your fingers.
Jane
Hi I was wanted to make these but I do not need 80 cookies so I am going to half the recipe, does the same tempture and baking time apply?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jane! The same temperature and bake time will apply if you half the recipe. I hope that you enjoy them. 🙂
Sofia
If I would like to make these larger than shown in the picture (like 3x bigger) would I still follow the same baking instructions? Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sofia! Yes, the same baking instructions will apply. 🙂
Tracey
This recipe is a winning one! I doubled the recipe because I had 1 cup of egg whites ( my son makes a mug cake that only uses yolks) I left them in the oven for 1 hr after the cook time and they were perfect. The entire family enjoyed them
Sugar Spun Run
Perfect use for leftover egg whites! I am so glad that your family enjoyed the cookies, Tracey! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Megane
I tried these two times and they turned out great! They melt in the mouth and taste good with a mix of vanilla and almond extract.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you loved them, Megane! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
SweetIsGood
As I currently do not have any cream of tartar in the house, and it’s quarantine, is there any way for me to substitute the tartar for something else?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi! In place of cream of tarter, you can try substituting with either 1 teaspoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar. I hope that helps. 🙂
Brianna
What happens if the mixture is still a little gritty but you’ve reached your stiff peaks? Do you keep whipping?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Brianna! If you add the sugar too quickly to the eggs or don’t beat the sugar into the egg whites for long enough, then the meringues can be grainy. Unfortunately, once you have reached the stiff peaks there is nothing you can do at this point. The batter still can be used and will still taste delicious. 🙂
Heather Bryant
I am making these for my daughter’s birthday. Her birthday is tomorrow. Is it best to wait until tomorrow to make them or will they keep for a day?
Thanks,
Heather
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Heather! You can make them today! I recommend storing them in an airtight container and placed them in a cool, dry place. Meringues can stay fresh for 2 weeks. 🙂
Tristan
Hi I just made these meringues and they are in the oven when I realized I forgot vanilla extract! Is that a big deal or will the meringues not taste good?
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no! No worries, Tristan, they should still taste good. 🙂