A soft center surrounded by a crispy outside, these Holiday Meringue Cookies are a fabulous addition to any holiday treat tray!
12 Days of Holiday Treats: Day 6
Welcome to day 6 of SugarSpicesLife’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats, a 12 day series of holiday candies, cookies and other treats.
In case you’ve missed it, so far this year I’ve shared:
Hot Chocolate Cookies
Orange Shortbread Cookies
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Candy Cane Puppy Chow
Sugar Cookie Truffles
If you want more holiday recipe inspiration, you can check out the 2020 series here.
Holiday Meringue Cookies
Each year I try to include a couple of gluten free treats in my holiday goodie boxes. One of my dear friends is not able to eat gluten, so I want to make sure I have at least a couple of things that she will enjoy. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking “I have no idea if she actually likes meringues.” But, either way, at least she can know I’m thinking of her.
If you’re asking yourself, “why are these cookies for the holidays?”, the answer is: green food coloring. So, if you want them to be non-festive, adjust your food coloring accordingly. Basically, they’re fabulous little meringue cookies that are great to eat any time of the year.
Step One: Whip the Egg Whites
Egg tips:
- Eggs are easiest to separate when the are cold.
- Egg whites are easiest to whip when they are at room temperature.
So, I recommend that you separate your eggs while they are cold, then let the whites sit for 15-20 minutes before whipping them.
Then, stir the egg whites together with:
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to mix until the texture just starts to become foamy.
Step Two: Mix in the Sugar
Next, while keeping the mixer on medium speed, you want to very slowly add sugar, about 1-2 teaspoons at a time, ensuring that each bit of sugar is well incorporated before adding more.
Once all the sugar has been added, increase the mixer to high speed, and whip until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Stand mixer tip: Many stand mixers fail to whip the mixture at the very bottom of the bowl. So, if you are using a stand mixer, use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl about every minute so that you ensure you are beating the eggs and sugar evenly.
Step Three: Coloring
After the egg whites are stiff, with the mixer on medium speed, add food coloring until your desired color is achieved. For the cookie pictured, I used 15 drops of green food coloring.
Step Four: Piping
Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on two 9×13 baking sheets.
Fit a large pastry bag with a large tip (for these I used a Wilton 2D tip). Fill the bag with the egg white mixture and pipe it into pyramids that are about 1.5 inches wide x 1.5 inches tall.
After you have piped the meringues, you may use sprinkles to give the meringues a Christmas-tree like appearance.
Step Five: Baking
Bake the meringues at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. Then, turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let them cool completely, about 2 hours.
Once the meringues have baked, you may want to sift a little powdered sugar over them to create a snow covered Christmas tree appearance.
These Holiday Meringue Cookies are a beautiful treat that can be customized to any color you desire!
Holiday Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- Green food coloring
- Sprinkles
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Place egg whites in a large bowl. Stir in cream of tarter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Use electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment to beat on medium speed until foamy.
- With mixer still on medium speed, very slow mix in sugar, about 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, ensure each bit of sugar has been well mixed before adding more.
- After all of the sugar has been add, beat on high speed until still, glossy peaks begin to form. If you are using a stand mixer, scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula every minute or so to ensure you are mixing the entire bowl.
- Reduce speed to medium and add food coloring until desired color is reached. For the meringues picture, I used 15 drops of green food coloring.
- Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large tip (I used a Wilton 2D). Pipe the mixture into pyramids about 1.5 inches in diameter by 1.5 inches in height onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Decorate with sprinkles as desired.
- Bake meringues for 2 hours. After 2 hours, open the oven door and let the meringues cool completely in the oven, at least 2 hours.
- Remove meringues and sift powdered sugar over them if desired.
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed these Holiday Meringue Cookies, you might also enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Pavlova with Fresh Whipped Cream
Almond Berry Meringue Cake
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
Caramelized Banana Pudding
Raspberry Almond Bars
