Meringue cookies are such a delightful addition to the table and so easy to make! This recipe has been a Preppy Kitchen favorite for years, and I retested it to add new tips for baking and troubleshooting meringue: how to avoid chewy or sticky meringue cookies, an easy test to make sure the sugar is dissolved, and a trick for storing them to keep them crisp for weeks.
These cookies are so versatile. I love to flavor mine with a drop of good vanilla but almond and even peppermint are great choices too. Try dipping or drizzling with chocolate for an extra layer of flavor and remember, these make wonderful gifts! Drizzle with chocolate, add various flavorings or even pipe them as nests and fill with whipped cream and berries!
A reader, Neila, says: “The first successful meringues I have ever made. This is fantastic. I will now always make it this way. I love meringue so much.” ★★★★★
Key Ingredients
These are the main ingredients you need to make this meringue cookie recipe. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Egg whites — you need 4 large egg whites to whip into a meringue. I recommend separating the egg whites while they are cold, and then letting them warm up to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Warmer egg whites will whip up faster and be more stable. You can save the egg yolks for another recipe, like French buttercream or lemon curd!
Cream of tartar — a small amount of cream of tartar is so important for a stable meringue structure. It’s an acid that strengthens the eggs’ protein structure so the meringue doesn’t collapse and holds the air long enough to be piped and bake.
Sugar — you’ll add the sugar gradually to the egg whites while beating to create a strong meringue and sweeten it. I recommend sifting your granulated sugar and weighing the sifted sugar. The grains of sugar can clump together in the bag and sifting it will catch those! You can use superfine sugar or pulse your sugar in a food processor for 20 seconds if you’d like.
Vanilla — a splash of vanilla is an important flavor component in this simple cookie recipe, so use good store-bought or homemade vanilla extract. The seeds of a whole vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste can add pretty flecks to the meringue if you’d like to use that instead!
Flavoring The Meringue Cookies
If you want to switch up the flavor of the cookies, you can swap out part or all of the vanilla extract with another. Lemon extract, almond extract, or even fruity ones like raspberry or orange work great! You can also process freeze-dried fruit into a powder and add 2 to 3 tablespoons to the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.
Once the meringues are baked, you can dip the bottom in the melted chocolate of your choice. You can sprinkle the chocolate with chopped nuts, crumbled freeze-dried fruit, or festive sprinkles!
Can I Save The Meringue Cookie Batter?
Unfortunately, no. Unlike normal butter and flour based cookies, you cannot refrigerate or freeze piped meringue cookies or meringue cookie batter before baking. Meringue needs to be used and baked immediately after mixing it, or it will deflate. The baked cookies keep for a couple of weeks, though, so you can bake them ahead of time if you’d like!
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Separate each egg white into a small bowl before adding it to the mixer. This way if a yolk breaks you won’t have to start over and repurpose the whole batch into an omelette! Fat will prevent the egg whites from whipping into a stable meringue, so you want to avoid any drops of egg yolk in the whites.
Add the sugar VERY slowly while the mixer runs. You can add in a teaspoon at a time or just go for a very slow cascade of sugar. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your meringue. Slower means the sugar has time to dissolve into the meringue and for the egg proteins to form a stable structure to hold the air bubbles. If you add it all at once, the sugar would take ages to dissolve, and you risk overbeating the egg whites.
Pipe your meringue as soon as it’s done. Meringue will lose its fluffy consistency if it sits around for a while.
How To Make Meringue Cookies
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making perfect meringue cookies. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Separate the egg whites into a small bowl. (You can save the yolks for another recipe, like key lime pie.)
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer), add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Start mixing on low speed before increasing slowly to medium.
3. After about 30 seconds, when the egg whites start looking frothy, add the white sugar 1 teaspoon at a time. Scrape down the bowl a few times during this process so sugar doesn’t build up around the edges of the bowl.
4. After adding all the granulated sugar, pour in the vanilla extract and mix.
5. Keep mixing on medium-high speed for about 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll know your meringue is done when the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture has a marshmallow-like texture that easily holds stiff peaks. (Rub a small amount between your fingers—it should feel smooth. If it feels grainy, keep beating it.)
6. If you’d like to color your cookie batter, add a small amount of food coloring with a toothpick and mix with the mixer until well incorporated. A little goes a long way, so don’t go overboard with food coloring in the meringue mixture!
7. Carefully transfer the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. (You can use an open or closed star tip!) Grab two baking sheets and some parchment paper. Pipe tiny dollops of meringue onto all corners of each cookie tray and press the parchment paper on top. The meringue batter will act as glue to prevent the parchment from moving around while you pipe, and while the cookies bake.
8. Now it’s time to pipe the meringue cookies! Hold the piping bag about ½ inch above the parchment paper and squeeze to make about a 2-inch-wide dollop. Stop squeezing and lift the bag directly up to form the tip. Continue with the rest of the meringue, leaving about 1 inch of space around each cookie so air can freely circulate around them (for even baking).
Bake for about 1 hour at 200ºF or until the meringue cookies are dry to the touch and sound hollow when you tap them. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in there with the door closed for 1-2 hours more so they dry out completely. You’ll know they’re done when they’re very light (virtually weightless) and lift off easily from the parchment paper.
Meringue Cookies Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Piping bags
- Piping tips
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Position two oven racks towards the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºF. Set two large baking sheets with parchment paper aside.
- To a large bowl using a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Begin mixing on low speed gradually increasing to medium.
- Once the egg whites start to become frothy, about 30 seconds, slowly add in the granulated sugar one teaspoon at a time. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl a few times while adding the sugar as it can build up around the edges.
- Continue mixing on medium-high speed. The meringue is done once the sugar has fully dissolved and it has a thick marshmallowy texture that holds a nice peak, about 10 to 15 minutes. If adding food coloring, add a small amount using a toothpick and mix until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe small dollops of meringue to the corners of the baking sheet and press the parchment paper down (this will act as a glue to keep your paper in place while piping).
- To pipe the cookies, hold the piping bag about ½ inch above the paper, then squeeze to make about a 2-inches wide dollop. Then stop squeezing and lift the bag up to form the tip. Continue piping dollops leaving about an inch of space between them to allow airflow. (If you pipe 6 rows of 4, you will be able to fit 24 dollops on each sheet.)
- Bake for about 1 hour or until they are dry to the touch and sound hollow when you tap on one. (If it is humid, they may take longer to bake.) Turn the heat off and leave meringue in the oven with the door closed for an additional 2 hours to dry out. They will be done when they feel light and can easily be lifted from the sheet.
Notes
- Sift your granulated sugar if you want to reduce any risks! Some brands of granulated sugar tend to have larger clumps in them, and the grains clump in storage. Sifting it will remove these larger pieces. Weigh the sifted sugar to make sure you have enough for the recipe.
- The center of the oven is best for baking. Since you are using two baking sheets, position both oven racks towards the center, with some room between them for air to circulate. This typically means they end up in the upper and lower third of the oven. Just avoid the very top and very bottom as those areas tend to be hotter and can brown the meringue or cause them to crack.
- Don’t be tempted to remove your meringue from the oven to cool them faster! The meringues use the slow cooling time to finish drying out. Just leave your meringue cookies on the cookie sheet in the oven (turned off) and don’t open it for at least an hour. You don’t want to ruin the nice warm dry environment they need to hang out after baking.
- Use baked meringue kisses in an easy Eton Mess for a quick dessert!
Nutrition
How Long Do They Last?
Your meringue cookies will last up to two weeks at room temperature as long as they’re kept dry. Storing in a sealed airtight container is best. You can also fill a small bowl or a tea bag with a tablespoon of dry rice and add it to the storage container. The rice will absorb any moisture in the air and keep meringues dry and crisp.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
You’ll be able to lift your meringue cookies off the paper easily once they have cooled and dried. They will feel very light and will be completely dry. If they are sticky or gummy in the center, bake them again for 20 minutes and then let them cool in the oven.
There are two main reasons for chewy or sticky meringues: underbaking and humidity.
The meringue cookies should feel dry to the touch when they are done baking. If they feel tacky at all, continue baking them. Once they are done, the centers will still be a bit chewy. Your meringues will be crisp as they sit in the oven to cool—this dried out all of the remaining moisture in the egg meringue. Be sure to leave your meringues in the oven after they’re done baking for 1-2 hours to finish drying them out.
If it is humid when you bake the meringue cookies, they will wick up more moisture and soften quickly. Keep them in the cooled oven until you are ready to serve them, or store them in a container with a little bowl or tea bag of dry rice. This will help absorb excess moisture. If they do become chewy after being left out, you can bake them for about 10 minutes at 200F, then let them cool in the oven again.
This happens when the sugar isn’t fully dissolved before the meringue kisses are baked. This is called “weeping”. The sugar grains melt in the oven and draw moisture from the meringue, forming beads of liquid.
French: Sugar is SLOWLY added to the egg whites while they’re being whipped. Very easy to make. This is what is used to make these meringue cookies!
Italian: Very hot liquid sugar is poured into a starter meringue while being whipped. Silky and substantial in texture.
Swiss: Egg whites and sugar are slowly heated to 160F then whipped. Silky and very versatile.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
I have loads and loads of cookie recipes for you to try! Give one of these a try next.
My tried-and-tested French macaron recipe is one of the most popular posts on the blog! I share all the tips you need for a perfect batch of dainty, delicate sandwich cookies.
My cake mix cookies are the epitome of convenience! You need 3 simple ingredients and just a few minutes of prep time to make delicious fluffy cookies.
Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies are light, not too sweet, and can be prepared months ahead of time. I love rolling the dough in sanding sugar for a slight crunch.
Easy chocolate crinkle cookies are like brownies in cookie form! You’ll love their crinkled outside and fudgy middles.
Warmly spiced gingersnap cookies come together with very little effort and time. Perfect for the busy holiday season!
If you’ve tried this meringue cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Carly says
I just used this recipe to try and make meringue pops but I’m not sure if maybe I took too long to as the food colour (I did 5 colours) or what but the consistency was very loose. It was stiff when I stopped mixing but when I was piping them they didn’t seem to pipe as crisp
Bevz says
Good day!
I would like to ask how to store the uncooked meringue mixture without losing its consistency and texture?
Thank you and hope to hear from you. Be safe.
Laurie hogan says
I made these and they came out absolutely amazing.The only thing is they literally took almost two hours in the oven before they became crispy and not like marshmallows
tyler says
I could not get them to tern out
Neha says
Absolutely loved them!
Anya's Kitchen says
These are delish! They make a great topping on a cake, too! I loved them!
Dawn M Robertson says
Marvelous! I made mine exactly like you did and even used the same piping tips. They are ‘hanging out in the oven’ to dry right now. But I already snuck two because I couldn’t wait 😝 I put strawberry extract in the pink ones and clear vanilla extract in the white. Delicious! Thank you I just love your videos 😘
John Kanell says
Thank you Dawn!
Carmen says
I tried your recipe for meringues, worked perfectly. Thank you. All your recipes are amazing, so kind of you to share them.
Tiana Lonappan says
These were delicious! I added the sugar slowly but was a bit grainy but worked out great! Thank you John! I also tried your chocolate cake recipe so good!!
Jessica says
Fabulous! I made these for Valentine’s Day last night. I live in a very humid country, so I’ll probably have to bake for 10 minutes at 200F every time I want a few, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay! I spread some passion fruit curd on them and the mix of sweet and sour is delightful.
Ivy says
Thanks John, all your recipes had make my baking easier and better. Love all your tips