Meringue cookies are light as air, beautifully sweet, and so easy to make! I love to flavor mine with a drop of good vanilla but almond, orange, strawberry are great choices too. And don’t forget about peppermint during the holidays! These cookies are so versatile.

They might not look like much, and they may not seem very exciting, but they are everything you want a delicate, marshmallow-like treat to be. Did I mention gluten free, fat free and light in calories? Yeah, they’re that too! Enjoy eating them by themselves, or use them as decorations on cakes or toppers on cupcakes.

These delicious treats typically have a sweet flavor and have a crisp outer surface, with either a light chewy or crisp textured interior. Add a few drops of gel food coloring and get ready for vibrant, decorative effects. The shape of meringue cookies are generally achieved by using piping tips in a piping bag, and once formed to the desired shape, they are baked in an oven on a low temperature.

Now, don’t be intimidated at the thought of making meringue cookies because of whipping the egg whites or the long bake time in the oven. They are actually so simple to make. Even a beginner can master these sweet little guys. I have lots of tips, tricks, and pictures to guide you every step of the way, to make sure you produce perfect meringue cookies.

PRINCESS TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MERINGUE COOKIES

• Crack each egg in a separate bowl when separating the whites. Even a tiny bit of yolk can ruin your meringues, so crack each egg in a small bowl before adding it to the bowl that you will be mixing the meringue batter in.
• Make sure that the bowl and beater that you are using to beat your meringue is completely grease and moisture free. Any moisture can ruin your meringues.
• Drizzle the sugar in VERY slowly while the mixer runs. You can add in a teaspoon at a time or just go for a slow cascade of sugar. Just give it a chance to dissolve before adding more. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your meringue.
• Don’t stop whipping until you get stiff peaks. The batter will take several minutes, at least, of beating to achieve stiff peaks, but keep going. It will increase in volume and be very thick and glossy — that’s what you’re looking for! See the video tutorial for a visual.
• You can test that the sugar is completely absorbed by taking a small bit of the batter and rubbing it between your fingers — if it’s not, it’ll feel gritty.
• Pipe your meringue as soon as it’s done. Meringue will lose consistency if it sits around for a while.
• Center rack is best for baking.
• Leave your meringue cookies on the cookie sheet in the oven for at least an hour and don’t keep opening the oven, they need a nice warm dry place to hang out after baking.
• Climate may affect your cookies. I live in South Florida where it’s incredibly humid all year round. So add extra cream of tartar and bake a little longer if humidity affects you.
• Don’t have cream of tartar? You can sub in 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice.
• If you’ve found that your meringues have gotten soft after you finished baking them, you can actually pop them back in the oven at 225F for another 10-20 minutes (watch them, if they begin to turn golden brown around the edges turn off the heat immediately) and then let them cool in the oven for another hour.

HOW LONG DO MERINGUE COOKIES LAST?
Your Meringue cookies will last up to two weeks at room temperature as long as they’re kept dry. Storing in a sealed container is best.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE DONE?
You’ll be able to lift your meringue cookies off the paper easily. They will feel very light and will be completely dry. Remember to bake them at a very low temperature for a LONG time. This drys them out without browning the cookies.

WHY ARE MY MERINGUE COOKIES CHEWY?
Your meringues will be crisp once the oven has dried out all the moisture in the egg whites. If it was humid when you made them they will wick up more moisture and soften. Leave your meringues in the oven after they’re done baking for at least an hour to finish drying them out and if they become chewy after being left out you can bake them for about 10 minutes at 200F.

INGREDIENTS:
egg white 120g (about four large eggs)
sugar 132g
vanilla extract 5g
cream of tartar 5g (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Set oven to 200F.
2. Separate the egg whites one at a time into a small bowl then transfer each white to the bowl of your stand mixer. You really don’t want to get any broken yolks in your bowl so separating them individually contains the damage if anything happens.
3. Add the cream of tartar to the mixing bowl when the egg whites become frothy or foamy. Mix on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
4. Once the egg whites have frothed up you can begin SLOWLY sprinkling in the sugar. When in doubt go slower instead of faster. This step makes a big difference in your final meringues so remember to take your time and add the sugar in gradually.
5. After the sugar has been added whip in your flavoring. If you want your meringues to be whiter than white you can add a clear extract.
6. Add only a small amount of coloring. A little goes a long way in coloring meringue.
7. Your meringue is done once it has a thick marshmallowy texture and can hold stiff peaks.
8. Hold the parchment paper down on the baking sheet by adding a small drop of meringue batter to the corners.
9. Use a pastry bag to pipe your meringues with space between each for airflow. Hold the piping bag straight up at 90 degrees. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift the finish the meringue.
1. Bake at 200F on the center rack for about an hour then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. . Leave the oven door closed and allow cookies to cool completely in the oven before removing.