Glorious clouds of chewy meringue swirled with your choice of filling. If you’re a novice baker or have never made meringue before, these meringue cookies are the perfect place to start.
Made with just a few ingredients you probably already have at home and some simple techniques, these pillowy meringue cookies are easier than you might think.
Tips for Perfect Meringue
If you’ve never made a meringue before (but are dying to try these cookies!), you might be feeling a bit intimidated. But with just egg whites, sugar, and a little bit of technique, meringues are actually one of the easiest treats to bake.
Read these tips before starting the recipe and you’ll be a meringue master in no time:
- Egg Whites: Use fresh, separated eggs instead of boxed egg whites. When separating your eggs, be sure not to get ANY yolk in with the whites. Even a little bit of yolk will cause your whites to not whip up properly. If you accidentally break a yolk into the whites, start over.
- Oil: Any amount of oil is the nemesis of meringue and will cause it to not whip into a stiff peak. Make sure you are using clean, dry, un-lotioned hands when separating your eggs. And, to make sure there is no residual oil or grease on your stand mixer bowl or beater, give them a wash in hot soapy water and thoroughly dry before beginning.
- Sugar: Add the sugar very slowly when whipping up the meringue. Add just one heaping tablespoon of sugar every 30 seconds. Running a timer will make this much easier. If there are any lumps in your sugar, just use your fingers to break them up before adding to the egg whites.
- Low & Slow: Meringues bake the best in a low oven. Preheat your oven to 325° and drop the temp down to 250° once you add the cookies. Bake them low and slow for 1 hour. When the timer is up, turn the oven off, crack the door, and let them rest in the oven for 30 minutes until fully cooled. This is how to achieve that crisp outside and fluffy, chewy center that makes meringue so delicious.
Versions of Meringue Cookies
After making the meringue, you’ll spoon it out onto a parchment-lined baking tray in large mounds. Make a well in each mound just like you would for mashed potatoes and gravy. Loosen up your filling by popping it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Fill each meringue well with 1 1/2 teaspoons of your favorite jam or nut butter and swirl with a skewer or toothpick. For extra flavor and texture, you can top the meringue cookies with chopped nuts or flakey sea salt.
Here are some different variations of meringue cookies to try. You can bake a few variations at once by filling each cookie with a little something different:
- Nutella with chopped hazelnuts
- Pistachio paste with salted pistachios
- Strawberry jam
- Blueberry jam
- Lemon curd
- Salted caramel
- Creamy peanut butter with salted peanuts
- Peanut butter swirled with jam
- Biscoff cookie butter with crushed Biscoff cookies
The best thing about these meringue cookies is that they make the perfect black canvas for any flavors you like. We made our meringue cookies with two different variations so you could try one or both of them depending on what you like (or have on hand at home). Once you learn the technique for making the meringue, the flavor variations are endless!
More Delicious Holiday Cookies
- Slice and Bake Gingerbread Cookies
- Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
- Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
- Shortbread Oreo Cookies With Peppermint
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
Pistachio Option
- 15 teaspoons pistachio paste*
- 2 tablespoons salted pistachios, chopped
Jam Option
- 15 teaspoons strawberry jam**
Instructions
Meringue
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Separate 4 eggs with clean, dry hands. Discard the yolks and transfer the whites to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Be extra sure both the bowl of the sand mixer and the whisk are clean and dry to ensure your whites whip up properly.
- Turn the mixer on medium and whip the whites for a minute or 2 until they are lightly frothy. Add in the cream of tartar and raise the speed to the highest setting.
- After a minute or 2, the mixture should become softly whipped and turn opaque. Once you reach this stage, begin adding the sugar– one heaping tablespoon at a time. Add one spoonful of sugar every 30 seconds, running the mixer on high the whole time. Once all the sugar has been added, let the meringue whip for an additional 2 minutes.
- Prepare your baking trays by lining with parchment paper. To keep the paper from sliding around the tray, put a dot of meringue under each corner of the paper. Use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or 2 spoons to dollop 5 large meringue mounds on each tray. Use the back of a spoon to create a well in each meringue mound.
Toppings
- Loosen up your filling of choice by warming in the microwave for 30 seconds.*** Fill each meringue with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling. Use a skewer or toothpick to swirl the filling in with the meringue, keeping it within the border of the cookie.****
- If making the pistachio version, top each meringue with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios after swirling.
Bake
- Transfer the meringue cookies to the 325° preheated oven and immediately turn the heat down to 250°. Bake for 1 hour, resisting the urge to open the oven door. When the timer is up, turn the oven off, crack the door and let them rest in the oven for 30 minutes until fully cooled.
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer
- 2 sheet trays
- Parchment paper
- skewer or toothpick
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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