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.
Candy
Made this with my granddaughter for Christmas today and she thought they were great. I’m wondering how long they will keep in an airtight container? We will probably have leftovers from Christmas and wondered if they will last until New Years Eve?
Sam
Hi Candy! They should last up to 2 weeks without issue. Just be sure to keep them dry. If they do get a little bit soft you can pop them back in the oven at low heat until they crisp back up. 🙂
Sravz
Hey is there any substitute for cream of tartar?
Sam
I have not made them myself without cream of tartar, but others have reported doing so successfully.
Harold
Maid them into swans turned out good used remaining batter for icing on pineapple blitz torte cake with blanched almonds it was delicious
Sam
Swans!? That sounds beautiful! So glad you enjoyed, thank you for sharing your modifications, they sound delicious! 🙂
Nira
Yes there is…I went to baking school and you can do two things if you don’t have cream of tartar:
1. You can use lemon juice instead of cream of tartar..I would use half a teaspoon
2. Add more sugar..it’s a stabilizer
Joy
Delish!!!!!! Best merengue!
Erin Carrasco
If I double the recipe is there a way to keep the rest of the batter ok to bake? Do I need to refrigerate it until I use it? (need a bigger oven lol)
Sam
Hi Erin! I would store it in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. 🙂
Monika Fackett
Nice presentation
Dorothy Whitmore
Can one use liquid egg whites instead of fresh egg whites? I am trying to use up a carton of liquid egg whites I bought to make royal icing. I hate throwing them out, but I am tired of scrambled eggs.
Sam
Hi Dorothy! You really need to be able to whip them to stiff peaks and most cartons I have seen say something about not being able to whip them so I don’t recommend them here. 🙁
Heidi E Mollers-Irick
Thank you both! I make a lot of white wedding cakes and have carton egg whites left over. I use meringue powder for my royal icing. I will stick to fresh egg whites for meringue. ☺
Carrie Origas
Can you add pecans and/or chocolate chips? i remember having some a long time ago with chocolate chips and they were delicious.
Sam
Hi Carrie! You can add pecans or chocolate chips, just stir them in briefly at the end. 🙂
Joanne
Might mention that it’s a good idea to put wax paper on your cookie sheet. Every single one was stuck and broke. Tasted delish but can give them away 🙂
Sam
I actually do not recommend wax paper but I do say in the instructions to use parchment paper 😉
However even if you bake on an ungreased sheet you should be able to use a spatula to pry them off.
Sandy
Thank you Sam,
A perfect little Christmas cookie. We devoured them rather too quickly!
But today I’m making more and hiding some, maybe. Ha Ha.
Cheers,
Sandy
Cheryl Hood
I tried the recipe and love it. I used lemon, root beer, mint, mocha, and other flavors. They tasted great. I love your recipes.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cheryl! That’s a lot of flavors. 🙂
Esmeralda
can I halve this recipe?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Esmeralda
any specific changes to the quantities/measurements of ingredients or just straight in half?
Sam
Just straight in half works perfectly 🙂
I’d just eyeball it for the salt, since you probably don’t have a 1/16th measuring spoon (at least I don’t!).
Joshua
I can’t wait to try these! I just got my first ever stand mixer, and as an experienced baker I am overjoyed. What did you use to paint the inside of the bag with? Also, does the chocolate need to be a specific temperature for dipping?
Sam
Hi Joshua! This is a great recipe to break in that stand mixer! I use a new (clean) paint brush to paint the streaks of food coloring on the piping bag. The chocolate really just needs to be melted here. 🙂
Joshua
Thank you! Yes I was wondering if it was just normal food coloring. Trying it today 🙂
Sam
I use the gel color because it won’t slide down the bag when painted on. I hope you love them! 🙂
Donna
In the oven now and they look amazing. It was so easy
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂
Isabella W.
I’ve never even tried to make there prior to this evening. I really enjoyed the description for each step and I’m thankful for the photo as I’m not talented in the baking area of sweets. So far so good! I did notice mine needed to stay in the oven until it was fully cool. DO NOT open it! I messed up the first time because I was impatient. Lovely recipe, I will be making it once more and adding a zest of lemon! ❤️❤️ Cheers
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Isabella! 🙂
Margaret Macht
My meringue was nice and glossy but never had stiff peaks; any suggestions? My bowl was clean, whites did not have any yellow in them. Don ‘t know what I did wrong. Never go nice stiff peaks
Sam
Hi Margaret! You probably just needed to go a little bit longer. It can take a long time sometimes. You didn’t use them from the carton did you?
Heidi Mollers-Irick
If it’s okay to offer a little tip, I taught the Wilton Cake Decorating classes for 5 years. One of the classes was royal icing. The first time I made royal icing, I couldn’t figure out why it was “melting”. An experienced instructor gave me an invaluable tip. Wash everything you use with vinegar after you have washed it with soap and water. And of course, rinse everything with water afterward. This gets rid of any grease residue. The smallest residue of grease can kill the meringue. I do this before making royal icing and meringue cookies and I always have perfect results. I am going to try your recipe. They look beautiful!!
Ruth
@ Margaret Macht: I don’t know if you did this or not, but try chilling your mixing bowl and paddle, only pulling them out of your fridge when ready to use them. It could also be that you didn’t let it beat long enough, it takes a LONG time. Meringue is a funny thing though, overbeat it and it may start to collapse. Pay lots of attention as you go.
Lala
I had the same problem. I felt like i was beating them for eternity. Never got stiff peaks. I used fresh eggs, clean bowl, no yolk. It got glossy though. I’m going to try being them anyway and see what happens.
Sam
It can take a while. Persistence is key. 🙂