Easy Meringue Cookies

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Preview: These easy meringue cookies are such a simple cookie to make and a wonderful way to use up those extra egg whites you might have.

Easy Meringue Cookies Recipe

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Meringue cookies have often been thought of as being a difficult cookie to make. I want to dispel that myth right now. As long as you use clean, grease-free bowls and utensils, I think you will be shocked at how easy they are to make.

They only require 4 ingredients-egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract and cream of tarter. You’ve probably already got the first three ingredients in your kitchen. The cream of tarter can be found in your local grocery store with the spices. It’s very inexpensive and will keep for a long time in your pantry. It’s purpose in this recipe is to help stabilize the meringue. And while there are recipes out there that don’t use it, cream of tarter will make it much more likely you will succeed with this recipe.

In this recipe, I used almond extract too, which makes this a 5-ingredient recipe. We love almond flavoring. However, if you don’t enjoy that flavor (or you are allergic) you could just use another teaspoon of vanilla extract. You can also experiment with other extracts such as lemon or orange, though your meringue cookies won’t be as light and airy. The natural oils in these extracts will tend to deflate the meringue somewhat.

Making Pretty Meringue Cookies

To pipe meringue cookies, I highly recommend using a disposable piping bag. (The bags I’ve linked to also come with several decorating tips if you don’t have those.) If there is any remaining greasy residue from cake decorating icing, it can cause the meringues to deflate. I also used a star tip to do the piping, and while it looks fancy, it’s really easy to do.

However, if you don’t want to bother with a piping bag, you can just plop the meringue on the parchment with a spoon. They may not look quite as pretty, but they will still taste great.

I love to add sprinkles to my meringue cookies. This is the perfect way to dress them up for the holidays or any occasion. You can find Christmas sprinkles, sprinkles to match your favorite team for game day, or unicorn sprinkles for a girl’s birthday party. I even found these sprinkles that don’t contain artificial food coloring.

This recipe for easy meringue cookies will work best when baked on a dry day. However, a little rain hasn’t ever stopped me from baking them. Just know they won’t last as long with the humidity. That just means they need to be eaten quicker.

They look beautiful on a Christmas cookie tray since they are a nice bright white against the typical browns of most cookies. If you are gifting these with other cookies, be sure to wrap these separately though. Otherwise, they will absorb moisture from the other cookies and not be crisp.

Easy Meringue Cookies

Easy Meringue Cookies
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
 

These easy meringue cookies are a great way to use up extra egg whites.

Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: meringue
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • sprinkles, optional, but highly recommended
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

  2. Whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tarter and continue beating until mixed.

  3. Add sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time, while continuing to whip. Once mixture is stiff, add extracts. Whip to incorporate.

  4. Place meringue mixture in a piping bag and pipe onto parchment lined sheet pan. Add sprinkles if desired. Bake at 225 degrees for 45 minutes.

  5. After 45 minutes, turn oven off. Do NOT remove meringues. Allow meringues to sit in the oven, undisturbed, for at least an hour. Remove and enjoy.

  6. Meringues will keep for about a week in an airtight container. Moisture will cause them to soften.

I hope you’ll give these easy meringue cookies a try. I would also love to know what your favorite cookie is to put on your Christmas cookie tray.

If you are looking for more ways to use up the eggs from your chickens, here is how to hard boil your fresh eggs so they peel easily.

4 ingredient meringue cookies

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