Looking for an easy meringue cookie recipe to impress your friends and family this Christmas? Look no further! These meringue cookies are simple to make and taste delicious.
Do you love meringues? Growing up they were my mom’s absolute favorite – so we had them in the house all of the time.
She would just pick them up at the store but since she was also a baker, every once in a while I’d wake up to find her making huge batches of them early on a weekend morning. It was positively wonderful!
Meringues are incredibly easy to make with a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in the house – especially during the holiday season.
They give the appearance of being difficult – so you can really impress everyone you gift them to. They don’t have to know that they were easy to make.
I really love that it’s easy to make this recipe in big batches – making it great for dividing between multiple gift trays for the neighbors and friends.
egg white cookies
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is the best way to store meringue cookies?
MOST IMPORTANTLY – make sure the meringues are completely cooled before packing them in an airtight container. If they have any warmth to them at all once they are packed – the warmth will create just enough condensation to ruin the texture of the cookie.
Once completely cooled – you can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. I have heard that they can be frozen so long as they don’t get any moisture in the container. But I personally don’t like to do that.
Can this recipe be doubled?
You can, and we do it often. It might take a bit longer to get all those egg whites to whip to the proper peaks, but overall doubling works fine.
peppermint meringue cookies
Do I really need to use cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites and prevent cracking. If you don’t have it, this recipe can definitely be made without it! But I highly recommend it.
Can these be made with a different flavor of extract?
Yes – if you aren’t a fan of peppermint extract or you are just craving a different flavor – you can use any extract flavor you like. I almost always make my meringues with vanilla – but once in a while, I will use cotton candy, coffee, cake batter, or even rum extract.
peppermint meringues
Ingredients for Meringue Cookies
- egg whites – room temperature
- cream of tartar
- peppermint extract
- salt
- granulated sugar
- red paste food coloring – no taste is best
Can meringues be made with powdered egg whites?
Yes! You can use powdered egg whites + water – (1 teaspoon of egg whites & 1 tablespoon of water for each egg you wish to replace) to replace the eggs in this recipe.
Why did my meringues crack?
Sometimes because of the delicate nature of the meringue whip, it can separate as it dries out. If you want to avoid this, I recommend using Cream of Tartar. It helps stabilize the egg whites and prevent the dreaded cracking. If you don’t have it, this recipe can definitely be made without it!
meringue cookies recipe
How to Make Meringue Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, extract and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using a food-grade paint brush, add stripes to the inside of a plastic decorator piping bag fitted with a large star or round tip.
- Gently fill the bag with the meringue – taking care to not deflate the meringue.
- Pipe the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 90 minutes or until cookies are set.
- Turn the oven off and leave the oven door slightly open for about 60 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. They should feel dry to the touch andhave a hollow sound when tapped.
- Store in airtight container.
Can meringues be made with meringue powder?
Yes – you can do that too! Use the same measurements as you would when using powdered egg whites.
What is Caster Sugar?
Caster sugar, sometimes also spelled castor sugar is basically a super-fine grain sugar. Smaller than granulated sugar but not quite ground to the point of being confectioner’s sugar.
When shopping for Caster sugar you can also look for Superfine Sugar or Baker’s Sugar.
Easy Meringue Recipe
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Because of the speed at which the egg whites need to be whipped in order to reach the stiff peaks stage, I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe by hand. You can try it with a hand mixer – but even that will be quite an arm workout.
Can these be made without the food coloring?
Yes – of course! If you want plain white meringues – just skip the step of painting the lines on the inside of the piping bag. If you want to make them a solid color – just gently fold in the desired color of food coloring before adding it to the piping bag. Be very gentle, making sure to not deflate the egg whites!
Can I use caster sugar in place of granulated sugar?
This recipe calls for granulated sugar – but you can use caster sugar because of its ultrafine texture – which makes it easier to dissolve in the mixing process.
You will also end up with a slightly lighter meringue due to the shortened mixing time.
Christmas Meringue Cookies
Products I love when making meringue cookies…
This meringue cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made homemade meringues before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this simple treat recipe.
If you love this Easy Meringue Cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Homemade Candy Recipes
- Candied Pecans
- Buckeyes
- Easy No-Cook Fudge
- Oreo Peppermint Bark
- Divinity Candy
- No-Bake Chocolate Haystacks
- Homemade Gumdrops
- Sugar Cookie Truffles
- Chocolate Nut Clusters
- Microwave Peanut Brittle
If you love this recipe for Easy Peppermint Meringue Cookies as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
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Easy Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- red paste food coloring no taste is best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, extract and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using a food-grade paint brush, add stripes to the inside of a plastic decorator piping bag fitted with a large star or round tip.
- Gently fill the bag with the meringue – taking care to not deflate the meringue.
- Pipe the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 90 minutes or until cookies are set.
- Turn the oven off and leave the oven door slightly open for about 60 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. They should feel dry to the touch andhave a hollow sound when tapped.
- Store in airtight container.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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