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.
Mikka
Can I leave them in the oven overnight
Sam
Hi Mikka! That will be fine, enjoy! 🙂
Monica
Ive got mine in the oven now- it’s a lower temp than my other recipe so I’m interested to see how they turn out. I’ve added leftover candy canes from Christmas (crushed). Instead of the other flavor options. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope they turn out wonderfully, Monica! Enjoy 😊
Teri
Hi, Very new at this. I am having trouble getting to the video. Any suggestions? Thanks for sharing all your experience with us and saving us a lot of the trial and error!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Teri! If you are at the top of the page, there should be a “Jump to Video” button. If you click that, it will take you to the video in the recipe. If you can’t see it, it might be because of an ad blocker, so you you may need to turn that off or just hop over to our YouTube channel. Hope that helps! 🙂
Sidney
These turned out so freakin good absolutely love this recipe and it worked so well even with it being my first time ever making them!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Congrats on making your first meringues, Sidney! We’re so happy they turned out so well for you 😊 Thanks for using our recipe and coming back to leave a review!
Jannet
Can you use a silicone mat instead of parchment paper? I have no parchment paper at the moment!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jannet! That should work fine. 🙂
Courtney
I just made these and actually make them multi colored. They turned out wonderful and I can’t wait to make them again. Thank you for the great recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
They sound beautiful, Courtney! Thanks for giving our recipe a try ❤️
Valida Tillson
Hi I have to say that I’m Soooooo glad to find this recipe. I actually learned to make these in home economics in 7th grade and we added M&M’S to it. Thanks for the great recipe and memories.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe too, Valida! Glad to hear these brought back some good memories for you 😊 Enjoy!
Becky
Can you substitute Splenda for the sugar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Becky! We have not tried using splenda, but a few others have reported success using it. Let us know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Maria
Making these for the first time. The key for me was patience. But they are really pretty and taste amazing! I used a large round and start tip and tinted shades of pink.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they turned out for you, Maria! They sound absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for trying our recipe ♥
JBiz
Love the details. I’m going to make them now.
Miranda-Lee Couture
I made amazing meringues. The recipe was easy to follow. People loved them and they made a very cute christmas gift.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We’re so happy they were a hit for you 🙂 Enjoy!
Kristina Campbell
I’ve been using this recipe for like 2 years now and it’s pretty fail proof. I love it ! It’s easy to change flavor or add color to. Definitely would pass along!
Terry J
I have been making these and they are amazing and very easy!! I have been playing around with flavors and my favorite is lemon. I actually add a powder I made by grinding lemon head candies to a fine powder and adding about a tblsp to the merangue and I sprinkle the top with the granules of the candy and bake as usual..
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious, Terry! What a great idea 🙂
Tami Stone
Help please!
The 1st 2 times I made them I did it with a hand mixer & everything turned out great, then I was given a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer & no matter how hard I try, I can’t get it to thicken to stiff peaks. It becomes runny instead. I’ve even tried adding another egg white & still no luck. Any Ideas?
Sam
Hi Tami! Sometimes it can take a long time. Make sure to use the whisk attachment and have some patience as it can take awhile.
Chris Heritage
Hi – Can you make these without a piping bag and tip? If so, how would you do that?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Chris! You can just spoon the meringues onto a baking sheet like a drop cookie 😊
DF Eldredge
Yes. Easy easy. Spoon dollops. Might need to smack the spoon against the cookie sheet to get the meringue to let go. The give it swirl into a peak.
E
This looks delicious! I am definitely going to try this recipe. I do have a question though, if I halve the recipe, would I have to halve the cooling time as well as the bake time?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
No, you will have to stick with the same cooling and baking times even with a half batch. We hope you love them! 😊
Julia
Hey, I just scooped them with a spoon and made dollups. They’re still pretty, just don’t have the little details. If you make them bigger on accident that way, put them in for maybe 15 more minutes because my batch made 30 lol.
Ilonka
Is it possible to halve this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sure thing! 🙂
Ilonka Oszvald
Fabulous! I did it last night and for the first time in ages, they turned out really well–a tad golden, but delicious…
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad they turned out for you, Ilonka! Enjoy 😊
Michelle
These are super easy and turned out great! Thank you so much!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad they turned out so well for you, Michelle! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review ♥
Maggie
Hi Sam, I made these yesterday. I whizzed my sugar in my herb grinder to make it finer so that it would dissolve better. I beat the meringue mixture for about 10 minutes. When I rubbed it between my fingers, I couldn’t feel any sugar, but when I tasted a bit of it, it was still a bit grainy. Since the instructions said to feel between your fingers, I went with that. However, when I piped my meringues, they kind of fell down a bit and didn’t hold the little peaks I’d piped. But they cooked up just fine and were crisp all the way through. Should I have whipped my meringues to the point that I couldn’t feel any graininess when I tasted it? If so, is it possible for you to put an estimate of the time that might take in the recipe? I just wasn’t sure how long to whip it.
Also, could you use powdered sugar in this recipe to ensure dissolving, and if so, how much?
The cookies taste wonderful!!
Sam
Hi Maggie! I’m glad you ultimately enjoyed them! The important part is to make sure your meringues have reached stiff peaks. Try adding the sugar a little more slowly and really watch for that proper consistency. You also don’t want to over-beat the batter or you could run into issue as well. I do have a video just above the recipe that may be helpful. As far as a time it takes to do, it’s tough to give guidelines because everyone’s mixer is different. It usually takes me somewhere around 5 minutes, but that’s just a really really rough guideline. I wouldn’t recommend using powdered sugar here.
Rocio
Hi. I have a question. So, after the batch has baked for an hour in the oven. You mentioned to leave them in there for another 1-2hrs. Is thta to bake them more with the heat that’s still in the oven after turning it off ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Rocio! This step helps the meringues cool down slowly to prevent cracks, and it also helps them dry so they’re not sticky. 😊
Rita
Great recipe! My family always folds in chocolate chips and cornflakes – not as pretty as your but delicious!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds great, Rita! We’ll have to try them sometime. 😊
Sue
Hi, I tried this recipe twice, and both times my meringues were overdone and brown inside. The first time I started smelling them at about 50 minutes and thought maybe my oven runs hot. So the second time I turned my oven down closer to 200, and turned my oven off after 30 minutes. Still, when I checked on them later, they were also brown inside. Do you have any suggestions or thoughts on why? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sue! Did you make them the same size that I made them? I’m not sure how it’s possible for the insides to be browned unless the outsides were totally burned up too. I’m really stumped on this one. These do take a long time to cook which is the reason for the low temperature. 🙁
Maggie
Hi Sue–Were you using dark cookie sheets? I have both light and dark, and I find they cook differently, with the dark pan browning the bottoms of my cookies quicker than my lighter pans.
Sue
Hi, Thanks for both of the responses. Yes I made them the same size as shown, and I used a light silver pan (heavy duty like for food service) and parchment paper? Also, they were brownish and carmelized inside, but not burned outside, only a little off-white. Nothing like the beautiful white ones you show! Still wondering if maybe it could be my oven?
Valerie
Hi Sue,
It’s possible not all your sugar is dissolving in the egg whites when you are mixing it. I have made meringue before for pavlovas and they always call for castor sugar, not granulated sugar. Castor sugar is similar to powdered sugar, however it doesn’t have the cornstarch in it. I recommend either purchasing castor sugar, or do what I do and simply grind up granulated sugar into a finer grain. This will help ensure all the sugar dissolves in the egg whites before baking. I hope that helps! 😊
Brenda Bloom
Great explanation of how to make these and the pitfalls. I just made 2 batches of these… one plain (vanilla extract only) and one with peppermint extract. The first batch (plain) I made had the full cup of sugar, but after tasting them I decided to cut the sugar in 1/2. It still tasted plenty sweet. I might even cut it back to 1/4 cup for the next batch. It’s a nice way to get rid of left over egg whites… thanks for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Brenda! 🙂
Lorrie
I made these today, as I made hollandaise sauce ( uses egg yolk) and had whites left over! Simple and yummy. My son said they tasted like candy! Reminded me of toffee. I just used 2 small spoons and dropped them on parchment covered cookie sheets. Will definitely make these again! Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy the meringues were a hit for you, Lorrie! Thanks trying our recipe and leaving a review 😊