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.
Alice Creed
I’ve made this recipe three times now. It’s simple and quickly prepared, but they are melt-in-the-mouth delicious. The meringue batter is easily tinted and flavoured (my favourite is lemon), and a single batch fits perfectly in my oven.
diane
This recipe works for me although I always cut it in half. Rather than looking for ways to use extra egg yolks I need recipes for when I make Guinness Chocolate Cake (delicious!) and end up with two lonely egg whites. Meringues are my go to for an extra treat. Just sayin’ 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Diane! So happy to hear that you’re able to make something sweet with your extra egg whites. Thanks for commenting!
Wendy Elkins
Hey everyone, I made these cookies last night and they turned out really really good! I did do a few tricks and then mistakenly did something else but they turned out great so I am going to share what I did.
1. I used a stand mixer (kitchen aid) but before using the bowl or whisk attachment I dampened some paper towel (damp – not dripping) with white vinegar and wiped the entire inside of the bowl and wisk wires VERY WELL. – I learned this from my mom, it helps remove excess oils left after washing.
2. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup as I always do with every baking recipe because typically recipe’s as is are toothachingly sweet to my family. I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla & 1/2 tsp coconut extract, you can use other flavors but keep the total vol. to 1 tsp total.
3. I set my oven timer for 1 hour but forgot to press start. Then I went and sat on the couch with my husband and promptly fell asleep for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Freaking out I ran into the kitchen just knowing that I had ruined my meringues but they were still perfect (no burning or browning at all) so I turned the oven off and went to bed. When I woke up this morning I popped them into a ziplock bag and of course taste tested one to make sure they weren’t poisonous. They were perfect.
Cheri
My cookies did not turn out crispy. How can I fix this
Sam
Hi Cheri! I actually have a section in the post that details how to make your cookies crispy if they don’t turn out quite right or become soft. 🙂
Tonya
So I made these last night and tinted them the colors of hydrangeas. Turned out beautiful ❤️
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Tonya! 🙂
Betty
Hi, for the meringue, is it okay if I don’t put the cream of tartar? I love this recipe, by the way.
Sam
Hi Betty! The cream of tartar is a stabilizer here, but if you have really any sort of humidity they probably won’t turn out. Some people have substituted vinegar or lemon juice with success. I really don’t recommend just leaving it out.
Eddie
I used baking powder as a replacement and it worked great.
Roseann
I am making these as a cake decoration – can I make them five days in advance?
Sam
Hi Roseann! That should work fine! You’ll want to store them in an air tight container at room temperature. If they start to get soft, I do have instructions in the actual post that tell you how to reheat them to fix that. 🙂
Arianna Lopez
Can i use white vinegar instead of cream of tartar? If so do I use the same amount? Thank you 🙂
Sam
Hi Arianna! I have only used cream of tartar but I know others have used vinegar with success. I do believe it is a 1 to 1 substitute here. Good luck! 🙂
Natalie
Can these be made for a cake topper? Or will the buttercream frosting ruin it?
Sam
Hi Natalie! I’d place them on just before serving as the moisture from the frosting could make the meringue very soft.
Alice F.
I love this recipe but the cook time says 2hrs, but in the recipe you say to bake for 1hr, which do I do. I cooked them for 2 hrs before and they came out perfect! But now I’m making the recipe for a second time and I’m not sure what time to bake them for…… hope you can help!!!
Sam
Hi Alice! You will want to leave them in the oven with the oven on for 1 hour. You will then turn the oven off, don’t crack the door or anything and leave them in until the oven has completely cooled down. This can take 1-2 hours. I hope that helps. 🙂
Carol Morris
Made these today and in spite of it being a rainy 85 degrees here, they turned out great! I made these as written, but plan to add mini chocolate chips next time. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Carol! 🙂
Amy Schmidt
can i double this recipe?
Sam
Hi Amy! That will work just fine. 🙂
Anica Hall
Yes, it works the same with double the batch
Susan
These are amazing! I added some coconut extract and sugar free white and chocolate chips. Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Susan! 🙂
Karen
If I wanted to use castor sugar instead of granulated, what adjustments should be made? Because 1 cup of castor would be WAAAY too much.
Sam
Hi Karen! A weight for weight substitute should work here, but I haven’t tried it to be sure.
8BitBaker
I always do these substitutes by weight. I made them tonight with 200g (1 cup) of castor sugar I’d previously mixed with finely ground earl gray tea and lavender and the meringue whipped up just fine. 🙂
Ciara
Hi, great recipe! Do you recommend a lower temperature for a fan-assisted oven?
Sam
Hi Ciara! I’m not familiar with using one so I’m not sure I can advise on a temperature change. I would do the same thing you normally do when setting bake temperatures. 🙂
Cherylann
Best meringue cookie recipe I’ve ever used and your tips are excellent and so helpful. Thank you for helping me finally make beautiful and yummy meringue cookies!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cherylann! 🙂