Meringue Cookie Recipe

Meringue Cookies are pillowy, delicious, and gorgeous treats and so easy to personalize, making them the perfect special occasion cookies.

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword how long do meringue cookies last, how to make meringue cookies, how to store meringue cookies, meringue cookie recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings dozen

Calories 284kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract see notes
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon food coloring or dye see notes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and salt to the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low until egg whites turn white and frothy. Turn the mixer to high and add the sugar very slowly, one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding sugar slowly. Beat until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks. The meringue should feel smooth when rubbed between your thumb and index finger. This can take anywhere from 7-10 minutes.
Attach a large piping tip to a disposable piping bag. Add about 1/3 cup of meringue to a piping bag. Drizzle 1/8 teaspoon of food coloring or dye down one side of the piping bag. Carefully fill the piping bag with meringue, trying not to disrupt the food coloring. Pipe the meringue in small cookies about 2 1/2 inches wide. Place the baking sheets on the center rack or as close as possible to it. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes and shut off the oven. Leave them in there for 1-2 hours. Store in airtight containers.

Notes

Make sure the bowl, beaters, and all utensils are clean and completely dry. Just a little oil or water can keep the eggs from reaching maximum volume.
Take your time when separating your eggs, as a bit of egg yolk can cause problems with getting the whites to fluff up. Crack them one at a time because if you get any yolk in the egg whites, you will need to remove it. If you can not get it all out, discard it and try again.
Separate your eggs when they are cold and let the egg whites come to room temperature.
If you have superfine sugar or caster sugar, use it, as it helps the sugar dissolve faster, making it easier to achieve stiff peaks.
For more flavor, substitute orange, peppermint, lemon, almond, raspberry, or cherry for the vanilla extract. Experiment with different extracts, but remember, a little extract goes a long way, especially with mint or peppermint. Or gently fold in chocolate chips and one tablespoon of cocoa powder.
Pipe your cookies onto parchment-covered baking sheets.
You can mix red and yellow dyes to create an orange. Using McCormick food coloring, a 1/8 teaspoon is about 11 drops of yellow to 3 drops of red.
If the Meringue Cookies get tacky or sticky with a chewy texture, place them back in a 250-degree oven for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven off and let them remain in there for about one hour.
For fun, try different food coloring. For instance, for Christmas, place red and green on opposite sides of the piping bag. It works every time and makes such beautiful cookies. Or, for Easter, drizzle pastel blue and pink down the sides of the bag.

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