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.
Bill
Wonderful! I can’t believe how easy this was. Just follow the instructions 🙂
Waiting for them to cool without opening the oven was perhaps the hardest but also most rewarding part. We had 4 egg whites leftover after making Bon Appetit’s mushroom carbonara for dinner the day before. We received the eggs from a neighbor’s sister’s chickens. They were local (Maine) and fresh. I didn’t bother feeling for sugar grit and just went with how the meringue looked. When it got so slick and fluffy (in my Hobart Kitchenaid K5SS stand mixer) I bet it must be ready. I don’t think I even looked for peaks. I felt quite accomplished after seeing and tasting these meringues. I purchased a pastry piping bag at the supermarket and it’s the only place where I had some difficulty. It was not easy getting the meringue in there. I later realized (after watching a video) – there’s a technique for doing that – roll the piper bag down and gradually fill it, rolling it back up a little each time.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for trying our recipe, Bill! We’re so happy you were pleased with the results 😊
H. Downey
Yes you can. Our entire family adds semisweet chocolate chips. The size of the chips depends on the size of your cookie. Remember the bigger the cookie the longer they need to cook. For four eggs @ 2 cups of additional goodies like chocolate chips is just right.
Becky
If I out these on top of buttercream will they soften and go chewy?
Sam
Hi Becky! They will be ok for a little bit, but eventually will start to turn soft.
Becky
Ok great
What do you think the time frame would be? Customer is picking up at 9 am but not having the cake till dinner
Sam
Depends on a lot of variables, like how wet the particular icing is and the size of the meringues, but I think it will overall be fine. Even if they’re softened by that time they’ll still be tasty, just not as crisp 🙂
Joy Wolfe
I made these meringue cookies yesterday using 6 egg whites I had left over from mixing up sugar cookie dough. I added a tiny bit more of cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract since I was using more egg whites but left the sugar at 1 cup. I tinted the meringue green and piped them into the shape of Christmas trees. Then I decorated them with sprinkles. They turned out delicious and so cute! I took some to Sunday School this morning. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
abigail Greenwell
So good and crunchy! I recommend using a 2/3 cup of sugar instead of the whole cup thought because i find the whole cup to be extremely sweet.
Shelly
I want to make these early for Christmas. Can I store in the freezer, refrigerator or on the counter if I carefully vacuum seal them?
Sam
Hi Shelly! They can be frozen. If they do happen to soften a little bit upon thawing you can pop them back in the oven for a little bit. I have tips on doing that in the post. 🙂
Cindy
Sam, I was wondering if I could add mint chips to the batter before baking?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work just fine! Enjoy 😊
Noah
Sam, you are my favourite person on Earth. I make these all the time. I’m so serious when I say that I’ve never met someone that doesn’t like these meringues. My mom told me to MAKE A BUSINESS because they are so good but I said that I can’t because it’s not my recipe but still like THAT’S HOW GOOD THEY ARE. Sam I love you so much you are so awesome omg these are so good and crispy and yummy. You are a gift to the world. (I’m a little dramatic but these are REALLY delicious).
Sam
Thank you so much, Noah! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Sophie
Mine have turned out white but still as liquidy as it was before. I have been mixinmg long enough. What am I supposed to do??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Oh no! It may need to be whipped longer. Hopefully there wasn’t any egg white or any moisture accidentally introduced 🙁
Haley
Did you use real egg whites or liquid egg whites from a carton? I used liquid egg whites the first time and had to throw it out because they were white but still liquid.
Andrea
That was my first mistake using egg whites from a carton. They dont whip up at all!. After 5 minutes and still liquid, I looked at the carton and it clearly says don’t use for meringues. Ugh! Lesson learned.
Kendyl
How long will these keep for?
Sam
Hi Kendyl! They should be good for about 2 weeks in an air tight container, but that may vary depending on the humidity in your house. 🙂
Lee
These sound the yummy I might try them
Noah
TRY THEM THEY ARE THE BEST MERINGUES I HAVE EVER HAD AND SO EASY AND THE CLEANUP IS EASY EVERYTHING IS EASY I LOVE THESE SO MUCH I MAKE THEM ALL THE TIME I MEMORIZED THE RECIPE I WANT TO MARRY WHOEVER MADE THIS RECIPE (BUT NOT REALLY MARRY CUZ IM 15 BUT LIKE GIVE YOU A FIRM HANDSHAKE OR SOMETHING BECAUSE DANG) LIKE IM SO SERIOUS THESE SLAP THESE THINGS GO SO HARD
bodynsoil
This was my first attempt at Meringue cookies, before I started I was intimidated. Thank you for your post and video you took the mystery out of the process and my cookies are a hit.
J2
Mackenzie Harnett
Absolutely love this recipe, my family cant get enought.I was wondering if you can double this recipe without it flopping?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! This recipe doubles nicely. Enjoy, Mackenzie 😊
Melissa Solberg
Can these be frozen successfully?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Melissa! The only concern we have with freezing them is the thawing process. You have to make sure they don’t absorb any of the moisture while thawing. 🙂
Jeanine
Is it OK to add gel coloring?
Sam
Yes! You will want to stir it in briefly at the end. 🙂
Kokobean
I am going to make these for a shower. In the past when I add vanilla it turns them beige. How do you keep them so white?
Sam
Hmmm I’ve never run into this issue, but if your vanilla is turning the meringues too dark you can always use clear vanilla extract. 🙂
Diane Becker
Thank you! I just made for 3rd time. I’ve been experimenting with different flavors. They all came out awesome. I have a “another question, I took them out after two hours and they are a little tacky. Should I put them back in? I still want to drizzle chocolate over them
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you like them, Diane! You can try baking them for an additional 10 minutes at 200 degrees to try to get them a bit more crisp. Hope that helps!
Denise
Last year I made lemon flavored and they were gone in a week this year we are try orange and vanilla to make a dreamcicle flavored meringue wish us luck
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum, that sounds like a fantastic experiment! Let us know how they turn out for you 😊