Vanilla Meringue Cookies

Meringue cookies are made by baking meringue into crispy little bites. They call for very few ingredients and can be made in a variety of flavors and colors. I love to highlight a good quality vanilla in my meringue cookies. 

Vanilla Meringue Cookies Overview

• Skill Level: Beginner
• Technique Used: French Meringue

Meringue cookies are possibly one of the easiest cookies to make. All you have to do is make a simple French meringue, pipe it, then bake it at a low temperature until crisp and melt in your mouth. 

You can add any flavorings you like but I love to highlight a high quality vanilla extract or paste like the Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste (affiliate link). The cookies are delicious all on their own but they’re also beautiful used as a decorative topping for a cake or cream tart. 

Checkout the flavor ideas section in the recipe to learn how to make almond flavored meringues, lemon flavored meringues, and peppermint flavored meringues with crushed candy canes that would be perfect for the holidays.

What makes this recipe so simple

• Only 5 ingredients! That’s all you need and you probably already have them in your kitchen.
• This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make and pipe. The rest of the time the meringues are in the oven and your time can be spent doing something else.
• Although vanilla meringues sound simple, the luxurious flavor of a good quality vanilla really makes this recipe special.
• The base recipe is so simple making it the perfect canvas to add additional flavors and color!

Ingredient List

Egg Whites: Room temperature egg whites are used to whip up and create a fluffy meringue. Vegan meringues are made by using aquafaba although I don’t have experience using it.

Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar not only sweetens the whipped egg whites but it stabilizes it so it doesn’t weep. It also gives the meringue a shiny, glossy appearance. Do not substitute another type of sugar.

Cream of Tartar: A small amount of cream of tartar helps the meringue to stabilize and reduce risk of collapse.

Vanilla & Salt: You can flavor your meringue cookies any way you’d like although I highly recommend adding a small amount of salt to balance out the sweetness. I love using this recipe to make a classic vanilla flavor.

How to Make Meringue Cookies

Step 1: Whip the Egg Whites Without the Sugar

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt and vanilla in the bowl. Make sure that the bowl you are using is clean and free from oil and that the egg whites are room temperature. If they are too cold, they won’t whip up and stabilize.

You want to begin by whipping on a medium speed which will allow the proteins to unravel and begin forming their network to trap the air bubbles. Whip until the mixture is holding air and soft peaks form.

Step 2: Slowly Add the Sugar

Once the egg whites have reached soft peaks, continue mixing on medium speed while adding in the granulated sugar very slowly. Add about 1 tablespoon at a time and wait about 15 seconds before the next addition. Not rushing this process is key to making the mixture stable.

Step 3: Whip to Stiff Peaks

Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form. This usually takes about 5 more minutes. The whites will look glossy and the whites should stand up straight with just a slight bend on the end.

This is the point where you would color the meringue if you’d like. I recommend using gel food coloring over liquid.

Here are some tips for coloring meringue

• Add a couple drops of gel food coloring to the entire mixing bowl to make one solid color. Add a drop or two more until you achieve the desired color.
• Remove half of the meringue into another bowl and set aside. With the remaining meringue in the bowl, color this half. Spoon the white meringue into one side of the piping bag and the colored meringue into the other side. As you pipe the kisses, the colors will swirl together. This technique is perfect for making meringues look like peppermint candies.
• Paint gel food coloring inside a piping bag and then add white or light colored meringue. As you pipe, the color will start to change and make an ombre colored effect.

Step 4: Pipe the Cookies

 Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fit with a French star tip. 

Pipe kisses on a parchment lined sheet pan. To do this, hold the pastry bag completely perpendicular (not on an angle) and hover about ½ inch (1.2 cm) off the pan. Give even pressure to start piping the kiss then release the pressure and pull up.

Now is the time to add any additional toppings like crushed nuts, candies, or sprinkles.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the meringues in a preheated 200°F/ 93°C oven for 75 minutes. Then shut the oven off and keep the door shut. Leave the meringue cookies in the turned off oven for another 75 minutes to completely dry out and crisp up.

Storage

Completely cooled and dried meringue cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.

Keep the meringues out of the heat and humidity otherwise they will soften and become sticky.

MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

If you loved this delicious recipe, you might like to try another easy treat recipe.

• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Butter Spritz Cookies
• Easy Chocolate Fudge

Here are some other recipes utilizing the technique of making French meringue.

• French Macarons
• Pavlova with Chocolate and Raspberry
• Classic Lemon Meringue Pie (swap the Swiss meringue topping for French meringue)