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.
Gloria Haydock
I haven’t yet tried this but based on all the comments, it sounds like a hit! I have one question for you. I’m not sure what Wilton food colouring is made with but that’s what I want to use to colour them turquoise. Is this the food colouring you used (I’m afraid that there is fat in it that may affect the cookies when cooking)?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Gloria! I have not used Wilton food coloring. I typically use Ameri-color food gels. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Jai
I’m having trouble getting the eggs to stiff peaks. It’s thick and glossy and my hands are very tired but the peaks keep flopping over at the tips
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jai! Are you attempting to this by hand? Meringues take time to form stiff peaks. There is a video attached to this recipe that walks you through my process that you might also find helpful.
Jai
No, I am not dong it by hand. I am using an electric hand mixer and I tried to make them again. They yielded better results but they still flopped over at the tips a bit.
Sam
I would just keep going a little further. It sounds like you are almost there. Just a couple of more things to check, you want your beaters/bowls to be COMPLETELY clean and grease free, and I don’t recommend using egg whites in the carton. Hopefully they turn out for you next time. 🙂
Jada
This recipe is so cool! I can’t wait for more!
Sam
Enjoy! 🙂
Kylie
If you make them very tiny, are they still baked the same amount of time? I just am afraid they will burn?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kylie! If you make the cookies smaller they will need less time in the oven. I am not certain of the exact bake time without trying it, so I would just reccomend that you keep a close eye on them. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Lucy
These were the best meringues I have ever had! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lucy! 🙂
Mellissa Ramirez
Can I bake these on a cake pop stick?
Sam
Hi Mellissa! Honestly I am not sure. I think it could work, I would just make sure the cake pop sticks will be able to handle the heat of the oven. 🙂
Khadejah
OH. MY. GOD! These are super good and easy. I cooked them for an hour then I ate them right away bc they looked so good LOL.
Thanks so much Sam for the recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Karrina
Easy to follow and super easy to make! Turned out light and fluffy (where other recipes fell flat!) I’ll be glad to come back to this recipe again and again ♥️ thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Karrina! 🙂
B
I tried this twice, but it wouldn’t form the stiff peaks. The mixture was all liquidy and foamy. We’re my eggs too big? Was there too much egg?
Sam
Reaching stiff peaks can take quite a long time depending on your mixer. I have a pretty powerful mixer and sometimes it takes about 10 minutes. If there is even a little bit of grease or dirt in your bowl, or on your spoon, or if you get even a tiny bit of egg yolk in with the whites you will have a really tough time getting the them to reach stiff peaks. Lastly, make sure you are not using egg whites from a carton. They can be very tough to whip. Most of the time the boxes even say they will not whip to stiff peaks. I hope this helps. 🙂
B
Thanks! I was doing it by hand. I will try it again when I have a mixer.
Sam
You can get them to whip to stiff peaks by hand, but it takes a LOOOOOONNNNGGGGGGGG time.
jim
Could you use powdered sugar to prevent any graininess?…thanks for the recipe!
Sam
Hi Jim! If done properly there should be no graininess but I definitely recommend making the recipe as written 🙂 If it is your first time making them it might be helpful to watch the video before beginning. I’d love to hear how you like the cookies!
Kim
I’m glad you mention the egg white in a carton. I had some to use up and was going to use these for my first meringue cookie.
Laura
I’ve never made these before, so I was nervous I wouldn’t get it just right. They turned out perfectly, though! Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Laura! 🙂
Nathan
What can I use to replace Cream of Tartar, because I don’t have any.
Sam
Hi Nathan! Others have made the cookies without the cream of tartar with success. 🙂
Chloe
I love it. The best I ever had.
Sam
So glad you enjoyed, Chloe! 🙂 Thank you for commenting!
Chloe
No problem
Angela
I have made these twice now. The first time, perfect! The second, a rainy day. 🙁 Anyway, I too use a KitchenAid. My question. . Do you have any tips for getting the meringue off of the huge beater? Mine looks like the one you used in the video. Oh, I love these. I made lemon, and I have bought different extracts. I plan to make these for holiday gifts! 🙂
Sam
Hi Angela! I typically just use a spatula to work the meringue out of the whisk attachment. 🙂
Ellie
Hey !
Since you mentioned using lemon. I’m planning on doing that as well. So I was just wondering if you used lemon zest or if you simply went for lemon extract.
Thanks !
Angela
Hi Ellie! I used lemon extract. About 1/8 a teaspoon. I still used vanilla extract I just cut the vanilla by half. I suppose you could put the zest on afterwards? I’m not sure how it would interact with during. . . Let me know if you do..
I highly recommend trying peppermint meringue cookies as well. They were another huge hit for my friends and family! 🙂
Aisa
I really enjoy making them everytime. It almost tasted new.
Chloe
Really good. I will make it soon.
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂
Lesley
Hi I’m not see the recipe where you used the egg yolk can you send me the link please
Sam
I am so sorry! I just updated the notes section down the bottom so you should see it there now. 🙂
Sophie
Can you use silicone mats instead of parchment paper?
Sam
Hi Sophie! That should work fine. 🙂
Angela
I’m sorry for posting here. I couldn’t find how to start a new one.
I too have a KitchenAid. My beater is the same one shown in your video. Do you have any tips for removing the meringue once putting in the piping bag? Is half of it supposed to be in the whisk?
Sam
Hi Angela! I typically just stick a spatula in between the wires and push as much as I can out of the center of the whisk attachment. It can be hard to get every little bit but you should be able to get most of it out. 🙂