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.
Finn
Such a wonderful recipe my family has me making them every two days!
Sam
I am so happy to hear it’s been such a hit with the family!! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how they turned out for you, Finn! <3
Adela
Hi,
I have tried these cookies in Europe and they were a bit sticky /caramelized in the middle and that tasted so good. Also they had a shiny surface. They were creamier, not too dry.
Lindsay
The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/8 tsp salt, just confirming if this is in fact correct? A 1/2 tsp cream of tartar seems like a lot to me. Thanks, can’t wait to try it out.
Sam
That is correct 🙂
Amy
How many people does it serve?
Sam
Hi Amy! It will make about 80 cookies that are 1 inch in diameter.
Cai
Got it done perfectly the first time thanks to the detailed video.
The only thing I added was to ‘bathe’ my bowls/ spatula in vinegar & salt before whisking to ensure they’re fat free.
Thank you, thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Cai! 🙂
Jan
Hi, can i use caster sugar for this recipe?
Sam
Hi Jan! That will work just fine. 🙂
J
Cookies are perfect and your recipe is very well written . Thank you
Sam
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies, thank you for commenting!
Hannah
Can we use anything else instead of cream of tartar ??
Sam
Hi Hannah! Others have substituted white vinegar or lemon juice with success. Here is an article I’ve found about how to substitute (I’ve never actually substituted it myself) that might be helpful!
Rika
Hi! So my family has hens, and they lay eggs. But their eggs vary in size, would you happen to know how many grams of egg white I need? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Rika! I have had success using anything from large to jumbo eggs with these meringues but an approximate would be 120g. 🙂
Vandana
Hi, thanks for the detailed recipe. I tried them. Everything was good till I took them out of the oven. They became really sticky. Yes it was a humid day.
Anything I can do about that? I had Lévy the oven door à little ajar. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that? Any tips?
Thank you.
Sam
I’m sorry this happened, Vandana! The humidity sounds like the problem. You can see the post for instructions on how to reheat them to make them nice and crispy again. 🙂
Grace
Thees r sooooooooooo… good! Thanks for sharing this recipe! They r not to soft not to crunchy and the flavor is spot on. Thank u!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Grace! They are definitely one of my favorites. 🙂
Lila
When you say room temperature eggs, how do you achieve that? Do you just leave whole eggs out or do you crack and separate and then leave out? How long?
Thanks!!
Sam
Hi Lila! I typically have eggs out overnight to come to room temperature. You can alternatively place them in a bowl of room temperature water for a few hours. 🙂
Kelsey
How long do these meringue cookies last? I wanted to make them ahead of time for a party, but I was wondering how long they last in an air tight container or if I can freeze them?
Sam
Hi Kelsey! They should last a week or so at room temperature in an air tight container. If you freeze them you have to be very careful when thawing them so they don’t absorb any of that moisture. 🙂
Mahvish Ahmedani
Hi. My meringues cracked. Can you help why that happened.
Also they piped really well but after going into the oven the designs flattened out. Can you help
Sam
Hi Mahvish! As far as the cracking goes, this is typically from drastic changes in temperatures. They really need to cool completely in the oven. For the flattening after being piped the egg whites may have been over-beaten or if there is a lot of humidity where you are this may cause flattening as well. I hope this helps. 🙂
Kate
Have you ever tried using duck eggs? I have a lot of them right now, and would love to try them in this recipe. They are quite a bit bigger than regular chicken eggs.
Sam
Hi Kate! I have not tried using duck eggs. I’m sure they would work. I’m not sure how many you would need just due to their size. I hope you love the cookies! 🙂
Erika Taylor
My husband is a HUGE fan of these cookies so I was a little scared but first time I made them they were perfect! My son said I had created crack lol. I tried them the second time and I had an issue where I messed up and had to use a cold egg so tried the heating in bowl that was in water bath and it just did not whip up the same! Be patient and room temp the right way. Very simple recipe. Hardiest part is filling that pipping bag but I got smart and used my pampered chef easy decorator and it’s a breeze! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Erika! I will agree that putting it in a piping bag is difficult. I like to put mine in a glass. 🙂
Eiren Buenviaje
Hello! Unfortunately I ran out of cream of tartar. Would it be okay if I omit it from the recipe instead?
Sam
Hi Eiren! Others have made them without cream of tartar with success. 🙂
Kristie
You can always substitute lemon or lime juice. 1/2 a teaspoon. I did that and they turned out fine 🙂