Meringue Cookies Recipe

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!

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 .

Meringue Cookies

A classic recipe for meringue cookies! These light and airy meringues make for a great treat any time of the year, but I especially love them as a Christmas dessert!If this is your first time making meringues I recommend reading over the tips in the post and watching the video before beginning.

Prep: 20min

Total: 140min

Yield: 80

Serving Size: 1 meringue cookie

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 meringue cookie, calories 21 kcal, Carbohydrate 5 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 1 g, Sodium 12 mg, Sugar 5 g

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites (room temperature)
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar ((200g))
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract¹

Instruction:

1. 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.
2. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large, completely clean, completely grease-free bowl².
3. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer (with either the whisk or paddle attachment), stir on low speed until mixture becomes foamy.
4. Increase speed to high.
5. 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).
6. 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).
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

Vanilla Meringue Cookies

Total: 0 1h30min0

Yield: 24 cookies

Serving Size: 1 of 24 servings

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 of 24 servings, calories 27, Fat 0g, Saturated Fat 0g, Carbohydrate 6g, Fiber 0g, Sugar 6g, Protein 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 7mg

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar. Beat until the mixture is frothy and soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting about 15 seconds between each addition. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat for an additional 5 minutes. The egg whites should be glossy and stiff but not dry.
3. Spoon the mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 2-inch cookies onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each cookie.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Meringue cookies

These easy and delicious meringue cookies are beyond easy to make but oh so beautiful.

Prep: 20min

Total: 200min

Yield: 48

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 cookie, calories 18 kcal, Carbohydrate 4 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 1 g, Sodium 5 mg, Sugar 4 g

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Instruction:

1. Set oven to 200F. Separate the egg whites one at a time into a small bowl then transfer each white to the bowl of your stand mixer. You really don’t want to get any broken yolks in your bowl so separating them individually contains the damage if anything happens.
2. Add the cream or tartar and salt to the bowl then begin mixing on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
3. Once the egg whites have frothed up you can begin SLOWLY sprinkling in the sugar. This step makes a big difference in your final meringues so remember to take your time and add the sugar in gradually. You can do is a teaspoon at a time or just sprinkle it in slow as slow can be. After the sugar has been added it’s time to beat in some vanilla.
4. Your meringue is done once it has a Thick marshmallowy texture and can hold a nice peak. I would caution agains letting it sit for too long as it will pose consistency and not pipe as nicely if left to it’s own devices for too long. If you are coloring the meringue I suggest you add a SMALL, tiny amount of coloring in with a toothpick or skewer then beat in with the the whisk attachment to distribute the color. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star attachment or with the tip snipped off.
5. Add small dollops of meringue to the corners of your baking sheet and press the parchment paper down. The meringue acts like glue and gives you a nice stable base to pipe on. Pipe your meringues allowing at least an inch of space between each for airflow. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift the finish the meringue.
6. Place on the center rack to bake at 200 for about an hour then turn the oven off and keep closed for an additional 1-2 hours. The meringue cookies are done when they’re are dried throughout. You’ll be able to lift them off the baking sheet and they will feel very light and dry.

Meringue Cookies Recipe

FAQ

What is the trick to making meringue?

1. When making meringues, always cook egg whites to avoid salmonella poisoning.
2. Don’t use packaged egg whites to make meringue. …
3. Use fresh egg whites. …
4. Use eggs at room temperature. …
5. Never let any yolk get into the whites.
6. Don’t overbeat egg whites.

Why did my meringue cookies turn out chewy?

What are the 3 types of meringue?

Should meringue cookies be chewy?