Meringue cookies always remind me of the holidays; maybe because they look like snow. If you’ve never had a meringue cookie before, they are crispy on the outside with a slightly chewy center. And they melt in your mouth as you eat them. Yum!
Made with only five ingredients, these cookies are simple. You bake meringue cookies low and slow, so they do take a little longer to make. But they are so beautiful that it’s worth it.
Meringue cookies are delicious all on their own, but you can also dress them up like homemade candy by adding melted chocolate and sprinkles or crushed peppermint to the bottoms.
Meringue cookies are also fun to decorate—you can add them to the top or sides of a frosted cake or cupcake.
Related: Looking for more holiday baking ideas? Check our Christmas archive.
Meringue Cookie Ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Cream of tartar
- Salt
- Granulated white sugar
- Vanilla extract
Directions:
While you can make meringue cookies by hand with a whisk, it’s much easier with a stand mixer or an electric mixer.
You whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until very foamy and soft peaks begin to form. Then, slowly incorporate the sugar (still whipping or beating on high) until stiff peaks form. The sugar should dissolve. Then, whip in the extract for a couple seconds.
Pipe the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake at 225°F for 45 minutes. Then, turn the oven off but keep the door closed, leaving the cookies to continue to bake and slowly cool for another 45 minutes.
Tips for Success:
- You can check if the sugar has dissolved in the batter by taking a tiny amount and rubbing it between your fingers. If it feels grainy, then the sugar isn’t fully dissolved yet.
- If your meringue cookies turn brown or crack, it could be that the heat was a little too high or you baked them for a little too long. Every oven is a little different, so you can adjust the temperature or bake time suggested in the recipe card if needed.
- Swap the vanilla extract for a different flavor extract to change the flavor of your meringue cookies, or add melted chocolate to the bottoms once cool to add more flavor and texture.
More Holiday Cookies:
Other recipes you may like:
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Pinwheel Cookies
- How to Make Macaron Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Sugar Cookies with Royal Frosting
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Are meringue cookies the same as macarons?
No. While both cookies involve beating egg whites into stiff peaks, macaron shells contain almond flour.
Are meringue cookies safe?
Yes. While meringue cookies are made of mostly egg whites, they are baked before eaten.
Should meringue cookies be chewy?
Should meringue cookies be chewy?
Meringue cookies are mostly crispy with a slightly chewy center. They melt in your mouth as you eat them.
Grab this guide to see our Top 25 Recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, add the egg whites.
- Begin mixing and sprinkle in the cream of tartar and salt.
- Beat on high until very foamy and soft peaks begin to form.
- Slowly incorporate the sugar as you continue to whip on high.
- Once the mixture is no longer translucent and stiff peaks form, check that the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a little bit between your fingers (if it's no longer grainy in texture the sugar has dissolved).
- Then, beat the vanilla extract into the mixture for just a couple seconds.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a large star tip or other large pastry tip.
- Pipe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Bake at 225°F for 45 minutes.
- Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and allow the cookies to continue to bake and cool slowly for another 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
These are so cute and festive!
These look adorable! Someone at a party I went to made something similar to these (still drooling over them) and they totally disintegrated in my party favor bag by the next morning. Should they be refrigerated to avoid that? And does that mean I couldn’t make them a day before?
My son is obsessed with these cookies. Lol
The star shape makes them look so fancy too, yum!