Simple Meringue Cookies
Meringue cookies are light, ethereal cookies made with only 4 ingredients! These egg white cookies will melt in your mouth and tantalize your sweet tooth!
This easy meringue cookie recipe will become one of your favorites. Make a batch whenever you have leftover egg whites! I’ll guide you through the process so your first attempt will be perfect!!
Why You Should Make
- This meringue cookie recipe can be jazzed up with food coloring and flavorings, but these are the most basic, simple meringue cookies.
- Only 4 ingredients and a few steps and these gems will be ready to eat!
- Spotting this elegant Strawberry Meringues Recipe from Pint Sized Baker reminded me that an ordinary meringue cookie recipe can be the base for an amazing dessert as well as scrumptious egg white cookies!
Ingredient Notes
- Egg Whites – make sure they’re at room temperature
- Cream of Tartar – the acid helps stabilize the egg whites. PRO-Tip: Use twice as much white vinegar or lemon juice as a substitute if you don’t have any cream of tartar.
- Pinch of Salt – salt is crucial to enhance the flavor of desserts
- Superfine Sugar – superfine sugar is preferred as it dissolves into the egg whites a bit easier, but I’ve had success numerous times with regular, granulated sugar. If your market carries Domino sugar, you can find their superfine sugar in the baking aisle. You can also make your own by processing sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds (but there is some research that says making your own will not result in the same quality as purchased superfine sugar).
A Versatile Easy Meringue Cookies Recipe
These meringue cookies will be incorporated into a fabulous Strawberry Eton Mess dessert to be revealed on Sunday, so I didn’t add any vanilla to keep them a beautiful, pure white color. But just think of all the options with these egg white cookies: green for St. Patrick’s Day, pink with peppermint extract for Valentine’s Day, pastel colors for Easter! A fun cookie any time of the year!
Expert Tips:
I’ve been making meringue since I was a teen. Lemon meringue pie was one of my specialties, and my family was brave enough to eat it! I’m not certain I knew all the tricks for making the best meringues in those days, but I have learned a few tips along the way. Use these guidelines for your own simple meringue cookies as well as to top cream pies, make pavlova, and more!
- Room temperature egg whites will give your meringue cookies more volume and help the sugar dissolve more easily.
- Make sure to whip the egg whites to soft peaks before adding any sugar.
- Superfine sugar (affiliate link) will dissolve more easily than regular granulated sugar.
- My mom taught me to rub some of the whipped meringue between my fingers to feel for sugar granules. You may feel a few, but most should be dissolved for the best results.
- For perfect meringues, add the sugar slowly. Don’t rush the process. Add one tablespoon at a time and give it a minute or so before adding more.
- PRO-Tip: Make sure your mixing bowl and beater are scrupulously clean. Any speck of oil (this includes any egg yolk) will prevent the whites from becoming white and billowy.
- So that you don’t get any egg yolks in your whites when separating your eggs, make sure to crack them on a flat surface (not the edge of your bowl) and separate them while cold (right out of the refrigerator).
- It’s also wise to not separate them over a bowl of egg whites as that almost always guarantees that a little yolk will contaminate the other whites and you’ll have to start over!
- To keep your egg white cookies a pristine white, not even a splash of vanilla was added, but feel free to include a little if that’s your preference. Vanilla meringue cookies are also wonderful to eat on their own or use in a recipe!
- Cooled Vanilla Meringue Cookies can be stored 2 weeks or longer in an airtight container at room temperature and longer if they’re in the freezer.
How to Make
- Whip egg whites until foamy.
- Continue beating whites until soft peaks form, then slowly add sugar and beat to form stiff peaks.
- Pipe or drop meringue onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake as directed.
Use your simple meringue cookies to make this layered Strawberry Eton Mess, made with crushed meringues, whipped cream, and berries.
What to Make with Leftover Egg Yolks:
You can always add some extra yolks to a big batch of Sunday morning scrambled eggs, but here are some more egg yolk recipe ideas for you. Any creme brulee recipe will work like my Classic Creme Brulee which uses 7 egg yolks or my White Chocolate Creme Brulee which uses 4 yolks. Irish Cream Pots de Creme uses 6 egg yolks. You’ll be set with two marvelous desserts if you make these simple meringue cookies, then a rich dessert made with the leftover yolks!
Frequently Asked Questions
The goal is to keep your cooled and baked meringue cookies away from humidity. They should be packed in airtight containers and can be stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer.
When stored in a cool dry place, meringue cookies stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. If frozen, they can last a couple of months.
Meringue can be very finicky. The most common reason for meringue failure is getting oil or grease into the egg white mixture. This can be from a little grease in the mixing bowl or beater or even a small speck of egg yolk contaminating the egg whites.
Plus, before beginning to add the sugar, the egg whites should be beaten until just foamy. Overbeating the egg whites until they look dry can also cause a meringue failure.
You May Also Like:
Here are some more recipes for what to do with extra egg whites. Plus, some other favorite desserts.
- Strawberry Meringues Recipe from Pint Sized Baker
- Lemon Souffle (Uses 9 egg whites)
- Layered Chocolate Meringue Cake (Uses 6 egg whites)
- Chocolate Velvet Pie with Meringue Crust (Uses 3 egg whites)
- Strawberry Souffle Recipe (Uses 4 egg whites)
- Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake (Uses 7 egg whites)
- Chocolate Meringues (Uses 6-7 egg whites)
- Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
- More Best Dessert Recipes
- More Best Cookie Recipes
There are only four ingredients in these simple meringues! They’re really super easy to put together and will deliciously thrill your palate. I do not add vanilla as it will make these cookies less than pure white, but if that doesn’t bother you, add a quarter teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Other flavorings will work, too.
Simple Meringue Cookies
Sweet, ethereal, easy meringue recipe made with just 4 simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- A pinch of salt
- ½ cup sugar, superfine preferred, but not necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225º Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- Place egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, and the pinch of salt, and beat until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer running, slowly add sugar, one tablespoon at a time until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.
- Pipe or scoop tablespoons of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing approximately 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off.
- Without opening the door, let the meringues stand in the oven for 1 hour (so the total time in the oven is 1 hour and 45 minutes but it's only turned on for the first 45 minutes).
Notes
Egg whites will not whip properly if any grease is on the beaters or the bowl. or if any egg yolk has contaminated the whites.
Once your meringues have cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container.
Yield varies depending on the size of your meringue cookies.
Note: Meringues bake best on a dry day. Avoid baking on a humid day as the meringues can absorb the moisture from the air and become soft and/or sticky.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
2 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 35Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
158 Comments on “Simple Meringue Cookies”
I loved how easy this is to make!! My kids can’t stop eating these!
These turned out perfectly! Such an easy treat and so delicious!
These are so much easier to make than you would think, and that’s a good thing because I will be making them again and again!
I found this recipe to be foolproof! They turned out light and airy and absolutely perfect!
Kids really enjoyed these!! Such a favorite treat at my house!
These cookies turned out so pretty, I love the presentation and how easy they are to make!
these are so pretty! I’m going to give this recipe to my daughters because the recipe is so simple, even they could do it
Hi my name is Alison and I will be doing this for a school proyect and I was wondering how do you know that they are ready to come out of the oven?
Hi, Alison,
Using my method of baking 45 minutes, then turning the oven off and letting them sit for another hour pretty much guarantees they’ll be cooked all the way. Even at a low temperature, 1 hour, 45 minutes is a long time for cookies to bake.
But another trick is to lift one off the parchment paper at the end of the baking time. If it comes off easily and the bottom is dry, it’s done. Good luck with your project!
Does the same baking method apply if I use a toaster oven to make these?
Hi, Sarah,
I’ve never used or owned a toaster oven, but if it keeps a good accurate temperature, I don’t see why they shouldn’t bake up nicely. Fingers crossed for you!
I use my toaster oven for these and I find the temperature is more accurate because it’s a smaller space and they cook up perfectly.
Hi Liz,
Meringues are my favorite treat. Im excited to try this recipe tomorrow but I’d like to add vanilla extract and was wondering how much to add? Also, is the cream of tartar necessary? Curious because it’ll keep me from making them until I get to the store.
Hi, Kerissa,
I’d add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. The cream of tartar stablizes the egg whites, so I’d definitely pick some up so you get perfect meringues the first time 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!!
Hi! I was wondering if it is needed to leave the meringues in the oven after they bake. Also, if it is needed, then what is the purpose for that? Thanks!!
Hi, Kaiya,
That step helps dry out the meringues so that they are crisp. Humidity can wreak havoc on meringues, so it’s another way to make sure they’re perfectly crisp and will melt in your mouth. If the texture doesn’t matter to you, you can certainly skip this step 🙂 Good question!
Best meringue recipe I’ve tried so far.
Thank you????
I’m SO glad! Thanks for reporting back!!!
Made these today with some leftover egg whites that were puzzling me! I made some ad how modifications, but I can’t believe how forgiving and lovely this recipe is! Seriously going to be my go-to meringue, even for pies, because I was eating it straight from the piping bag!
I had 6 egg whites (I had made custard last week) so I was going to try to measure out 4 tbsp, but they kind of all fell in the bowl. Then, I was measuring my sugar and was afraid of using the last cup in the house (in case the Queen visits?) so I swapped for confectioner’s sugar. That all said, it made a TON…. I misjudged my time and had to leave for school pickup before the cook time was finished, so I vented the oven for the drying cycle after only 35 minutes. When I came back, some bigger ones were still chewy, so I recooked them another 10 minutes, vented another hour, and they were perfect! In hindsight, the only thing I shouldn’t have done was leave them in while the oven re-pre-heated because the ones on the bottom rack got a bit toasty. But actually the brown ones taste so good, even if they’re not as angelic-looking!
Thank you for this easy peasy recipe/method even though I ended up off the rails, it worked!
You are a rock star!! Thanks for your thorough and terrific review 🙂
Update: these are amazing as a breakfast cereal topping, since they totally remind me of the tiny marshmallows some brands have.
Next time I have spare egg whites, I’m making minis specifically for that purpose!
Hi! extremely simple recipe, just a question is the oven temperature in Farenheit or Celsius?
The temperature is in Fahrenheit. You’re not the first to ask, so I’ll go make a note of it in the recipe. Hope you enjoy, Tania!
Made these for first time last night for a party. With your tips, these were amazingly simple to make, despite horror stories I’ve heard about the difficulty, and I am no baker for sure. My young kids even joke about me catching kitchen on fire and my “crispy cooking”-lol
They were a hit at party served plain and with berries and will be my new go-to dessert! My British husband is quite picky about desserts and these were perfect. Can’t wait to make them again!
Thank you!!!!!
Oh, I am so glad they worked so well for you, Tracy! Thanks so much for letting me know and happy new year to you!!
Hi, will make these as they they look great but is that 180 degs for a fan oven?
Hi, Lynda, the rule of thumb is to reduce the temperature by 25 degrees when using a convection/fan setting. I’d set the temperature at 200 degrees. I haven’t tried this recipe with my convection setting, but it should work. Hope you enjoy!
Liz, can I bake two cookie sheets at a time in the oven? In other words, will it affect the cookies if they bake at different spaces from the heating elements?
Cathy, in general, I don’t recommend it. If you have a convection oven, it should be OK, but turn down the temperature by 25 degrees. Hope this helps!
After the meringues have baked for 45 min, do you leave them in the oven for 15min so it totals 1 hour or for an hour after the 45 min bake time?
Thanks! Excited to make these!
Great question. I can see how it would be confusing the way I wrote it. These meringues need and extra hour in the oven after the 45 minute baking time. That will help them dry out nicely. Hope you enjoy!!
I love a meringue – that light airy crisp and so many ways you can flavor them. I definitely need to face my fear of these and just make a batch this season!
So simple and so delicious! A perfect win-win in my book!