When I worked as a pastry chef, the task I most looked forward to each night was making a batch of meringue. The process of whipping egg whites into a fluffy, shiny cloud never ceased to amaze me. At work I used the sturdy marshmallow-like meringue to top pies or frost cakes, but at home I baked batch after batch of meringue cookies.
I first fell in love with crisp, light-as-air meringue cookies through my mom. A true meringue fiend, she kept tubs of the Trader Joe’s vanilla meringues stocked in the cabinet at all times. As a kid, I loved how the near-weightless cookies dissolved on my tongue, like the freeze-dried astronaut ice cream I constantly begged for. I inherited my mom’s love for meringues, but I’ve still never met anyone who adores these cookies quite as much as she does.
The problem: Meringues are notoriously finicky to make from scratch. My mom attempted to bake them many times, and no matter how good they looked when they went into the oven, her meringues would always end up melting into a pool of frothy sugar on the baking sheet. When I became a professional baker, my mom had one request: I needed to learn how to make meringues.
In developing three new meringue cookie recipes, my goal was to provide all of the tips and tricks needed to set up even baking novices for success. Whether you want classic vanilla bean, swirly peppermint, or double chocolate, these meringue cookie recipes will help you hone your pastry skills. Plus, you can mix them up as you please, trying out different shapes or flavors—you’ll find a few such options below.
Armed with these reliable base recipes, I now bake my mom a different flavor of meringues for every holiday. For this past Mother’s Day, I baked vanilla-rose meringues, dusted with rose petal powder. For her birthday, I presented lavender meringues alongside the cake, and for Hanukkah, these chocolate-dipped ones are far more valuable than gelt. Packaged in a cute tin, they make a fantastic gift, especially since these cookies last at room temperature for 2 weeks.
Just be warned: Once you’ve stepped into the world of whipped egg whites, you may find yourself utterly obsessed.
How to make perfect meringue:
Whenever you’re making meringue, it’s important to start with a clean, dry mixing bowl. Any lingering moisture or trace of fat can prevent the egg whites from whipping. Even if it looks clean, I wipe my stand mixer bowl down with a clean paper towel before starting.
Eggs are easier to separate when cold, but easier to whip at room temperature. That’s why I like to separate my eggs straight out of the fridge, then let the whites sit in the mixing bowl on the counter while I measure the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkling the cream of tartar over the egg whites while they sit allows it to dissolve before you begin whipping.
Some meringue recipes warn you against overwhipping the egg whites, which causes them to deflate and turn foamy. You don’t have to worry about that with these recipes, though: Cream of tartar prevents the egg whites from overwhipping, so you can take the meringue to very stiff peaks without risk of collapse.
What does “stiff peaks” actually mean, though? The meringue should be shiny, billowy, and marshmallow-like, holding the shape of the beaters. To test if the meringue is done, remove the whisk attachment—the meringue on the whisk should stand up straight, only drooping ever so slightly. It should look like the upright twirl of Jimmy Neutron’s hair.
The meringue will deflate slightly when piped, so taking it to very stiff peaks ensures the cookies hold their shape. This is how you’ll achieve pristine meringue kisses with sharp, defined ridges. It also prevents them from melting into one puddly meringue mass (sorry, Mom).
How to pipe meringue kisses:
For the prettiest meringues, you’ll want to use a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip. I bulk-buy these disposable bags from Ateco, which you can also bundle with a set of six piping tips. I use a star-shaped tip for my vanilla meringues (Ateco #848), which pipes in deep, dramatic ridges.
To fill the pastry bag easily, lower it into a tall glass or vase and fold the edges of the bag over the rim. This will hold it in place for hands-free filling.
This recipe makes about 30 two-inch meringues, but you can customize the size. I like to make tons of tiny meringue kisses to decorate cakes (like this Bûche de Noël) or fill a cookie box with confetti-like bites. Just keep in mind that larger meringues will require a longer bake time than smaller kisses.
Hold the piping bag straight up, about an inch away from the parchment-lined baking sheet; starting with the tip touching the baking sheet can result in squat, compressed meringues. Applying even pressure, lightly press the bag to pipe the meringue, twisting in an upward motion. It might take a few cookies to get a hang of the motion, but with practice, it’ll become second nature.
How to make colorful striped meringue cookies:
Break out the paintbrushes. If you love a good art project, this recipe for peppermint meringues is for you. Striping the inside of the piping bag with food coloring results in pretty candy-cane-like meringues, with the flavor to match from a hint of peppermint extract (I like this one from Nielsen-Massey).
To stripe the inside of the piping bag, you’ll want to use a very thin paintbrush. I prefer to use liqui-gel food coloring here, like this one from Chefmaster, which has a much stronger color than the regular thimble-size dropper bottles you’ll find at the supermarket. If you want to try out multiple colors (or plan to decorate holiday sugar cookies with the family), it’s worth investing in a set of assorted hues.
Squeeze a few drops of food coloring into a small bowl, then dip the paintbrush in and pipe four thin, equally spaced lines (about the width of a toothpick) up the inside of the piping bag. For the most dramatic color, extend the stripes all the way down to the piping tip. Fill your striped piping bag with meringue as usual, then pipe for swirly-twirly striped meringue cookies.
You can try this technique with any flavored extract or food coloring. I’ve made these striped meringues with lavender extract and purple food coloring, but the options are endless. Try sunshine-yellow meringues flavored with bright, citrusy fiori di sicilia, or green-striped meringues perfumed with floral cardamom extract. (If you’re changing up the flavor, keep in mind that some extracts are stronger than others.) You can also use two different colors, alternating the stripes for two-toned meringues. Let your inner artist break free.
How to make meringue cookies without a piping bag:
Don’t have a pastry bag? You can still make these meringue cookies. For a more rustic look, use a two-ounce cookie scoop or two spoons to dollop the meringue into small mounds on the baking sheet. Or for a makeshift pastry bag, fill a gallon-size resealable plastic bag with meringue, and snip off a corner.
How to dip meringues:
Striped peppermint meringues may win the most presentation points, but these chocolate meringues were an instant staff favorite. Flavored with a smidge of cocoa powder, they look and taste just like the top of a Wendy’s frosty (in the best way possible). Dipping the bottom third of the meringues in melted chocolate heightens the cocoa flavor and gives these meringues an extra-elegant look. You can dip vanilla or peppermint meringues in chocolate, too, but we particularly love these chocolate-on-chocolate cookies.
To dip your meringues, first melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave or over a double boiler. The coconut oil in the chocolate mixture adds shine and helps it harden quickly, Magic Shell–style. Dip the bottom half of the baked, fully cooled meringues in the melted chocolate mixture, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Set them on a baking sheet to dry. To help the chocolate dip set faster, stash a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer, then set the dipped meringues on the cold baking sheet.
How to store meringues:
Baking meringues at a low temperature for a long period of time essentially dehydrates them, resulting in crisp, airy cookies. When stored properly, meringues last for up to two weeks. Since the cookies keep for so long, they’re a great option for holiday shipping.
The best way to prolong the shelf life of your meringues is to keep them away from any moisture or humidity, which can cause the cookies to go soft. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, ideally with a few silica packets. If the exterior of your meringues starts to turn soft or sticky, don’t fret: They can be revived! Pop them back into an oven on low heat (225 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes to re-crisp.