Meringue Cookies
These baked meringue cookies are crisp, sweet, and light as a cloud! Plus, lots of tips on how to make a meringue that’s stiff and fluffy.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this meringue cookie recipe
- Ingredients and notes
- Substitutions
- Tools and equipment
- How to make meringue cookies
- Expert tips
- Recipe FAQS
- How to use meringue
- Making in advance
- How to store meringue cookies
I have a lot of recipes here on this site that begin with meringue. Recipes like chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, angel food cake, and macarons.
It may seem pretty simple to whip egg whites and sugar together until fluffy and stiff, but it can be pretty tricky if you’re not sure what you’re doing.
I get a lot of questions about it!
So I thought it was about time I put together a comprehensive guide for how to make meringue.
And these cutie-patootie classic meringue cookies are the perfect place to start!
Why you’ll love this meringue cookie recipe
Light and airy texture: Meringue cookies have a delicate and airy texture that practically melts in your mouth. They’re crisp on the outside and soft and marshmallow-y in the middle.
Versatility: Meringue cookies can be flavored in lots of different ways! Add vanilla, almond, or other extracts, or incorporate ingredients like cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or even dried fruits to create different variations.
Beautiful presentation: Chewy meringues can be piped or shaped into all kinds of different forms. From simple swirls to elegant rosettes or nests, meringue cookies are often used to decorate desserts or served as standalone treats.
Suitable for special diets: Meringue cookies are suitable for many dietary preferences. They are naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, making them the perfect addition to any cookie tray.
Ingredients and notes
Egg whites
Egg whites are the main component of meringue cookies. They provide structure and create a light and airy texture. The egg whites’ proteins help stabilize the meringue and allow it to hold its shape when baked.
Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar is an acidic ingredient often added to meringue recipes.
It helps to stabilize the egg whites and increase their volume when whipped.
Cream of tartar also helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing, resulting in a smoother, glossy meringue.
Salt
Salt carries the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won’t taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful!
I like kosher salt best because it doesn’t have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine and that can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It’s also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.
Sugar
Sugar sweetens the meringue and contributes to texture and stability.
When whipped with the egg whites, the sugar dissolves and creates a stable structure by forming a matrix with the proteins.
It also helps to create a crispy exterior and a soft interior.
Vanilla
Vanilla extract or other flavorings like almond or citrus zest are added to enhance the flavor of the meringue cookies. They add a pleasant aroma and taste to the otherwise neutral base.
Substitutions
Substitute for cream of Tartar: If you want to make meringue without cream of tartar, just sub in a few drops of lemon juice or white vinegar. They all pretty much do the same thing.
Create other flavors: You can get creative with flavors. Vanilla isn’t the only option! Try adding almond extract, rosewater, lemon, or orange blossom water, for example. You could even fold in freeze-dried fruit (like raspberries) ground to a powder in the food processor.
Tools and equipment
You can make meringue with just a few basic kitchen tools:
- Stand mixer: A stand mixer (fitted with the whisk attachment) makes this recipe a snap! But if you don’t have one, an electric handheld mixer will work too.
- Measuring cups & spoons: To measure out the ingredients.
- Silicone spatula: To get every last bit out of the bowl.
- Piping bag & tip: I prefer a 16-inch featherweight bag and a jumbo French star tip. But you could also just spoon the meringues out.
- Parchment paper sheets: So the meringue cookies don’t stick to the pan.
- Baking sheet: I love my aluminum baker’s half-sheet pans.
How to make meringue cookies
The process for making baked meringue happens in 7 simple steps.
Step 1: Whip until foamy
Place the egg whites in a large, very clean mixing bowl, and add the cream of tartar and salt.
Whip the whites on medium speed using the whisk attachment until they’re starting to look foamy and just beginning to turn white.
Note: A stand mixer with a large bowl is really helpful for this, but if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a handheld electric mixer.
Step 2: Slowly add sugar
While continuing to whip, add the sugar very slowly (about 1/4 teaspoon at a time).
Step 4: Whip
When all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the meringue looks really glossy and can hold a stiff peak.
Step 5: Flavor & tint
Stir in the vanilla extract, then fold in the gel food coloring (if using).
Step 6: Pipe
Transfer the meringue mixture to a large, very clean pastry bag fitted with a jumbo French star tip, and pipe 1-inch diameter kisses onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 7: Bake
Bake the meringues in a warm oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until light and crisp (do not brown).
Serve immediately.
Expert tips
The most important thing when making meringue is timing. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Add the sugar in too early, and your whites might never get fluffy enough.
- Add it in too late, and your meringue might weep because the crystals didn’t have time to dissolve.
- Add it in too fast, and it could deflate all the air out of the meringue.
- It’s a really delicate balance! But if you start adding the sugar when the whites are starting to look foamy and a little white and keep it going in S-L-O-W-L-Y (I’m talking like 1/4 teaspoon at a time!) you should be ok.
- Whatever you do, don’t open the oven door while the meringue is baking. It can cause the meringue to sink and crack!
Recipe FAQS
There’s one other thing that is SO important when it comes to making meringue and that’s to make sure that everything is SUPER clean!
Make sure your bowl and your whisk are 100% free of any trace of fat. If any of your tools are at all greasy, your whites won’t whip up properly.
Wash everything in very hot, soapy water and dry it well.
Even the most microscopic trace of fat could make it impossible for your meringue to reach that critical stiff peak stage.
And do you know what contains fat? Egg yolks!
So be really careful when you separate the eggs too. If you accidentally pierce the yolk you may as well forget about ever making a proper meringue.
For these meringue cookies, we aren’t so much baking the meringue as drying it out.
These bake at a low temperature (only 200 degrees F) for a long time. This gets them nice and crisp all the way through without browning.
How to use meringue
These little meringue kisses are super cute and fun to snack on by the handful. But once you have meringue-making mastered there are all sorts of things you’ll be able to make.
Here are a few examples:
- Pipe the meringue into a cup or nest shape, and it can be filled with lemon curd, berries, or ice cream.
- Try your hand at pavlova– it’s baked a little faster, so it remains soft and marshmallowy inside.
- Top a lemon meringue pie or baked Alaska– the meringue that tops these desserts doesn’t get baked at all. Instead, it’s toasted with a brulee torch or under the broiler.
- If you can make a proper meringue, you’re halfway to making French macarons!
- You can also make my favorite ever frosting: Swiss meringue buttercream!
Making in advance
You might be able to get away with baking meringues ahead, but you’d be taking a big chance.
If it’s a dry day, that’ll probably work in your favor.
But if it’s at all rainy or humid, you’re likely to have trouble. They may come out of the oven just right, but over time they will re-absorb moisture from the air and become sticky.
I’ve had this problem a few times before, and it’s frustrating.
To me, it’s much better to make them just before you plan to serve them.
How to store meringue cookies
If you live in a dry environment and you want to take your chances, place the meringue cookies in an airtight container and seal it tightly to keep the humidity out.
They can last a few days at room temperature without spoiling, but they may become sticky.
If it is a humid day, the cookies will most likely become soft and sticky rather quickly.
Hopefully, this info will be useful the next time you need to make a meringue-based confection!
And if you have a question I didn’t cover here, feel free to leave it in a comment below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can with an answer.
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites, (large)
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon ) cream of tartar*
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract**
- 1 drop icing color , (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Place the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl, and add the cream of tartar and salt.
- Whip the whites on medium speed until foamy and just beginning to turn white.
- While continuing to whip, add in the sugar very slowly (about 1/4 teaspoon at a time).
- When all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the meringue is glossy and very stiff.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, then fold in the color (if using).
- Transfer the meringue to a clean piping bag fitted with a French star tip, and pipe 1-inch diameter kisses onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meringues in the warm oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until light and crisp (do not brown).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
**Other types of extracts can be substituted to taste.
How much will it matter if I use a ‘size 32’ tip to pipe the meringue? I also have a ‘size 21’ tip. Which one would work better?
Hello, I have a question of a different nature..what music did you use for your video? It’s so pretty!! This recipe looks yummy. Looking forward to giving it a try. Thank you!
Hey there! I always use royalty-free music that I download online for all my videos. I’m happy you like it! I believe this one came from Pond5.
Hi! So I live in Hawaii and I was wondering if the heat would effect the Meringue at all. I am very excited to try this recipe! Thanks!
Humidity can definitely affect them. There’s info on this under the headings “CAN BAKED MERINGUES BE MADE AHEAD?” and “HOW TO STORE MERINGUE KISSES.” Good luck, I hope you enjoy!
Thanks!
Is it Ok to store the Meringues in the fridge?
It’s ok but as noted these do tend to become sticky if they hang around too long. Good luck!
I made these for my friends and family and they loved them. During my social distancing i try to do things that are positive and keep us busy. I made these and handled them with gloves to package them and deliver them personally. They were a hit! thank you.
That’s so nice! I love that you are doing that for your loved ones.
Hi!
Can I use an all egg white product – basically pre Packaged egg whites that come in a carton? If I leave the carton out on the counter for an hour they’ll get to room temperature but just wondering if boxed egg whites will work given that you mention using fresh egg whites.
Sounds like it should work but I have not tried it myself so I can’t say for certain. Good luck!
What is the reason for the batter not stiffy
Meringue of u it buaetiful, I make it but Why did I bake and the color faded? so sad
Hey there, I don’t know what kind of color you used to tint your meringues, but it’s not uncommon for color to fade as it bakes. It’s always a good idea to compensate, knowing that, when you’re tinting.
I am baking in oven with timer and low, med, m high, high, grill, combo1 options.. what do I need to select while baking this receipe.. I did with low for 3min.. it was melted n burnt
I’m not sure what kind of oven you’re using, but these need to be dried out at a very low temperature. No more than 200 degrees F. If you’re oven doesn’t go that low then you will have a problem.
My meringue isn’t thickening and it never did reach the stuff peak point. Did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe to a T. Please help?
Hey there, I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I would definitely suggest reading the info given under the heading “TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING: WHY WON’T MY MERINGUE STIFFEN?” This section shares everything I know about what could cause this type of problem.
How would you go about making these chocolate flavored? An emulsion or cocoa powder? They turned out great, I’m so happy with this recipe!!!! One tip I didn’t see though is to let the egg whites come to room temperature, it helps with getting them fluffy 🙂
Yes, absolutely. Using not-so-fresh, room temp eggs is definitely a good tip. Thank you for reminding me of that! I think you could probably add some cocoa powder to this recipe, although it’s tough to say exactly how much without having tested it. Just be aware though that cocoa does have some fat in it, so it could deflate the meringue a bit. Let me know how you make out, ok?
Considering the world right now, I didn’t go in search of a chocolate emulsion or extract, but I did have some dark chocolate cocoa on hand so I used 1 Tbs of that mixed into the sugar. I was able to get it to be shiny and fluffy but it didn’t make a nice neat shape when piped and I baked it longer by maybe 15 min. They were amazing!!! I can’t say exactly how long they would last because we ate them in about 3 days with no signs of going gooey. Hope you give it a try 🙂
So glad they worked out for you Abigail! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I am so excited for this recipe!!! I’m baking it right now so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out but I got beautiful glossy meringue to start. You mentioned adding other flavors…I was wondering how you’d recommend adding chocolate flavor…an extract or cocoa powder? And how much would you think would be enough? My daughter loves chocolate 🙂
So awesome. I love simple recipe bases. This can turn into anything! So, good job!
Thank you!
This recipe is absolutely delicious and amazing! At first I thought the salt would taste a little bit weird but in the end it was actually really good with the recipe.
And that’s why I have rated this a 5 stars!
Thank you so much for the 5-star rating! I love a little salt in everything I make- it really brings out the flavors!
Hello! Your meringue is so beautiful! I wonder if you cook one tray at a time? What do you do with the leftover batch? I never try to our two trays in because I am worried they won’t come out good. But the cooking time is so long to wait for the next tray! Thanks!
Hey there! Thank you! I put it all in at once. At such a low temp, you don’t really have to worry about uneven heat. Hope that’s helpful!
I love these meringues they are so good!!! My mom loves this Recipe but my sister likes them chewy Meringues she says they are “styrofoamy”.
If you’d like them chewy rather than crunchy, just pull them from the oven a little sooner!
What with The Plague going around, we’ve been in the mood to make anything new. These were absolutely delicious. I used almond extract and wowowwowow. We loved them and even took some to our gluten free neighbors whose tween who never talks to us said, “they were the best things she ever tasted”. Thank you!
Aw, wow! I’m so happy you and your neighbors liked them. And I think that’s so great that you’re using this time to do something creative and positive!
We don’t need your life story etc just post the damn recipe …. Jesus you make it take 20 mins to find the fucking thing
Not one iota of personal info here, Mr. or Ms. Smith! Just useful tips for making the recipe as successful as it can be. Nice try trolling, but that complaint does not apply in this case!
I will be making my 2nd batch of these today. The first time I added just a hint of caramel extract and they were simply divine. Today I will be trying root beer extract, and we’re hoping they’ll taste like a root beer float. Thank you for the recipe!! And btw, my first batch lasted 2 weeks sealed in Ziploc containers 🙂
Wow what a great idea! I can’t wait to hear how the root beer ones came out. So glad to hear they kept well for you too!
OMGoodness!! These are so good! I’ve been using a different recipe for years and I’m definitely a convert. This is my favourite meringue recipe now. So easy and less sugar than my other recipe which I usually cut down the quantity I used in that one anyway. I think the cream of tartar makes a big difference to how the meringues turns out. So good… THANKS a bundle!! 💗😋 I love all the tips and tricks and the layout of your recipes. Can’t wait to look up all my favourite recipes and give yours a go!!
Aw, thank you! That makes me so happy! I’m so glad you were pleased with this recipe. If there’s ever anything specific you’re looking for and it doesn’t come up on this site, please let me know and I’ll try to create it!
Hi, these look so pretty. Can you please share the tip number you used for the cookies. Also, I can make pavlova which taste great but do tear apart, will my meringue cookies also tear. Really want to have this pretty shape!
Thanks
Hi there! The tip I used is linked just above the recipe card, just click the picture on the far right. These cookies are quite crisp so they should not tear. Hope that’s helpful!