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.
Veronica
I popped small Hershey kiss size cookies. They came out cracked and slightly bubbled looking. Do you think I over baked or over whipped the batter?
Sam
Hmmm typically they will crack if there is an abrupt temperature change. Did you pull them out of the oven too early?
Veronica
I left them in the oven for 2 hours after I turned it off. I didn’t open the oven door either.
Sam
Hmm that’s very interesting. I have never had this problem unless the temperature change was too drastic. I’m not sure what else could have happened here. I’m sorry. 🙁
Bella
These are AMAZING although I was wondering if there was a sugar
substitute my friend could use because It’s kind of hard to find a substitute that would work. I also found adding a few more drops of vanilla made them taste REALLY good.
Sam
Hi Bella! Unfortunately I haven’t tried a sugar substitute here so I’m not sure how it would work. 🙁
Hiyam
Hi
Can we replace the cream of tartar or not using in this recipe ?
Sam
I have had others report success without using it but I haven’t tried it myself. It really helps to stabilize the meringues.
Anna
I recommend replacing the cream of tartar with the same amount on either lemon juice or vinegar, you just want something acidic to stabilise it.
Madi
Best recipe I’ve tried for meringues, hands down. Even as a beginner working with meringue, I was still able to get the perfect puff and crisp. The perfect light sweetness, these are absolutely delicious.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Madi! 🙂
Theresa
Thank you for this delicious and simple recipe. My ten year old made these (as written) for us for dessert. They melt in your mouth! I keep saying, “ok, last one” and then I find myself grabbing another one, and another one. This was a terrific way of using up the leftover egg whites (we made pudding yesterday and had four lonely egg whites). C’mon, would you rather make an egg white omelet OR a huge batch of meringues??? Ok, I’m going to grab another one. Thank you again.
Sam
🤣 I have the same problem! I just keep telling myself at least they are only a few calories. 🤣 I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Dana
I will be trying this recipe today! It looks very similar to my grandmother’s recipe, so I’m sure it will be delicious.
I must caution everyone about meringue cookies, if you do not want something sweet, don’t make a cookie in which a main ingredient is sugar? This will be the same for any meringue cookie. There are 2 main ingredients, egg whites & sugar. The rest is just for stability & flavor, as well as a fraction of the amount.
Sam
I hope you love them, Dana! 🙂
Roger
What does cream of tartar do?
I’ve never had it, never used it.
They usually come out just fine.
Yes, agree 1 cup of sugar is too sweet.
Sam
The cream of tartar stabilizes the meringue. 🙂
Lynn
You can also use 1 tsp of lemon juice.
Heidy
I forgot to add the vanilla! Will this ruin the batch? 😢
Sam
Hi Heidy! The vanilla gives them a nice flavor but they’ll still be tasty. You could always drizzle a little melted chocolate over them after they’ve cooled if you think they need a bit more flavor.
Heidi Ming
Hello! How large are the meringue supposed to be? I’ve seen a video where the meringues are about 2 in in diameter, but I know that messes with the cooking time probably! How large should the meringues be for this recipe?
Thanks a bunch!
Sam
Hi Heidi! Mine are about 1.5 inches across. Yes you can make them bigger or smaller and it will change the baking time. The good thing is if you bite into one and they are still chewy just pop them back in the oven. They are actually pretty forgiving. 🙂
Lexie
I’m too anxious to wait for them to cool! Can I take them out early and eat them? 😂
Sam
😂 They won’t be very crispy if you do. They will be soft and chewy, which isn’t what these cookies are supposed to be.
Laura
The best meringue base recipe! I made mango meringues by mixing mango puree instead of extract woth this recipe. Oh man, I now want to try strawberry puree with it, and pear…I think I’m addicted!
Sam
Mango meringues sound awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed them, Laura! 🙂
Brian
My wife’s been doing a bit of baking, and we end up with a fair amount of leftover egg whites. I figured there should be some nice egg white recipes out there, and came across this. Love ’em! My first batch refused to form “stiff peaks”, but the end result was still tasty. In my second batch, I added a few drops of peppermint oil. Yum! Thanks for sharing.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Brian! 🙂
Glenda Adams
Made according to recipe w one exception I cut sugar to half a cup. Sweetness was perfect. I did find that they were to salty for my taste. Next time I’ll just put in cream of tartar no salt like I usually do. I found the tips helpful, no egg yoke in whites,etc for people who may not know.
Sam
Hi Glenda! I’m surprised you found them salty because the recipe only calls for a fraction of a teaspoon. I’m glad you enjoyed them otherwise. 🙂
i love baked goods!
wow! yum! ( although it was very sweet) thanks!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
jo
hi, is it possible to not use cream of tartar as i do not have it?
Sam
Hi Jo! I know others have made them without the cream of tartar, but I don’t really recommend it here. 🙁
Emma
So there is a way to substitute.
For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.
Inaaya
these were soo good !! the texture of the meringues were amazing, but the one thing that i would definitely change next time is the sugar amount because it seems that 1 cup of sugar was way too overwhelmingly sweet. unfortunately none of my family ate the meringues and enjoyed it because the amount of sugar was over our limits and this is coming from a family of sweet tooths. i will probably make this next time but most probably with only 1/2 cup (as i recommend everyone to do as well!)
Sam
I am glad you enjoyed them, Inaaya! I would caution against cutting too much sugar. If you cut too much sugar out the meringues won’t turn out. Let me know how it goes for you! 🙂