Sweet, crunchy Meringues made with just 3 ingredients! This Meringue Cookies recipe is perfectly festive and garnished with mint and sugared cranberries for show stopping Christmas cookies! Easy and simple to make, but impressive to serve at your holiday party!

meringue cookies decorated with mint leaves and sugared cranberries
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Meringues have long been one of my favorites! Meringue Cookies are made with just a few staple ingredients, require almost no effort and are low calorie, too! They’re also a delicious gluten-free, dairy-free cookie!

This little twist on our family Meringue Cookies recipe makes Meringues fun and festive for the holidays! I like to call them Merry Meringues! They come together so quickly, too!

These cookies pack nice crunch and offer a sweet, subtle flavor, without all the calories! They are light and airy and of course, beautiful!

I love that it takes no effort at all to make these beautifully delicate meringue cookies, and they are so pretty and festive, especially when decorated. Be sure to make a big batch, as I promise they’ll disappear quickly!

If your having a cookie exchange, be sure to bring these along, they’re sure to stand out amongst the sugar and shortbread cookies! I’ve even got a Valentine’s Day inspired Easy Meringue Recipe – don’t skip it!

  • Egg Whites – Fresh is preferable to make the best meringues, rather than egg whites purchased in a carton.
  • Cream of Tartar – Stabilizes egg whites while maintaining their texture. It also makes meringues more tolerant of heat. You don’t have to have cream of tartar to make meringues. You can substitute with a 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or distilled vinegar in a pinch.
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar dissolves into the meringue.
  • Vanilla Extract Pure rather than imitation is preferred for the best flavor.

How to Make Meringues

  • Combine eggs whites, sugar, cream of tarter and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form, gradually increasing speed as you go.
  • Pipe onto a lined cookie sheet (you can use icing bags or simply cut the corner of a ziplock bag off, insert a tip, fill the bag with meringue and pipe!)
    • Note you want to leave a little “hole” in the center to allow cranberries to rest so start from the inside and work your way out spiraling into a circle.
  • Bake. Meringue Cookies are baked at a low temperature so they don’t crack.
  • Garnish with fresh mint leaves and sugared cranberries.

Variations

This meringue cookie recipe is pretty perfect as is, but of course you can mix it up in so many ways!

Substitute vanilla extract with peppermint for peppermint meringues, lemon, orange or almond. 

Top down shot of a meringue cookie with garnish

Easy Meringue Cookies Recipe

I can never resist the sweet crunch of Meringues and have always loved how they glisten whether you drop them by the teaspoonful or pipe them onto parchment paper. They look so beautiful, yet they’re effortless, which is exactly what I want during the holidays.

Your mixer does all the “hard” work. The only thing difficult about them is keeping your hands off the beater because it’s such a great batter. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

How Long Do Meringue Cookies Keep Fresh?

Meringue cookies are always a go to for me over Christmas holidays, because they keep so well! They will keep for up to 3 weeks so make a big batch! 

Let the meringues cool completely, and then place them in an airtight container, with each layer separated by parchment paper. Store them at room temperature. 

You can freeze meringues, but it’s imperative that they do not absorb any moisture while defrosting. To thaw, place meringue cookies on wire racks for an hour and enjoy.

meringue cookies on a white serving platter
Decorated meringues on a serving tray

Tips

  • Use fresh egg whites.
  • Be sure to use your stand mixer – it will take a lot longer by hand
  • If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a spoon to place the meringue mixture and swirl
  • Let cookies fully cool before storing
Christmas meringue cookies decorated on a white plate

How to Store Meringues

  1. Cool completely.
  2. Place in an airtight container. It’s okay to gently stack them with a layer of parchment paper between.
  3. Store at room temperature up to 3 weeks.

If you try this meringue cookies recipe, please come back to share using my 5 star rating in the comments below! Not only do I appreciate it, but I know readers do, too! For more easy recipes and simple living ideas, subscribe to my newsletter!

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meringues
5 from 5 votes

Meringues

Sweet, crunchy Meringues made with just 3 ingredients! This Merry Meringue Cookie recipe is garnished with mint and sugared cranberries for a truly festive Christmas cookie!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 18
Pin Rate Print

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 200℉. Line cookie sheet with foil. 
  • Beat egg whites and cream of tarter on low, gradually increase to medium.
  • Add sugar and gradually increase to high until stiff peaks form (5+ minutes). Beat in vanilla.
  • Pipe onto lined cookie sheet into circles. Bake 2 hours or until completely dry.
  • Garnish with sugared cranberries and mint leaves.

Julie’s Tips

You can use icing bags or simply cut the corner of a ziplock bag off, insert a tip, fill the bag with meringue and pipe!
Note:  you want to leave a little “hole” in the center to allow cranberries to rest so start from the inside and work your way out spiraling into a circle.

How to Store Meringues

  1. Cool completely.
  2. Place in an airtight container. It’s okay to gently stack them with a layer of parchment paper between.
  3. Store at room temperature up to 3 weeks.

To Freeze:

  1. Store in an airtight container.
  2. Allow to thaw individually at room temperature on a wire rack for 1 hour.
You can substitute cream of tartar with a 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or distilled vinegar in a pinch.
Serving: 1g | Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 1mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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10 Comments

    1. Hi Isabella,
      This recipe makes about 18 cookies, depending on how big you make them. You can see that in the “yield” tab in the printable recipe card at the end of the post – and you can use that tab to change the ingredients to more or less for any of our recipes.
      I hope you enjoy them, they’re so good!
      Julie

  1. 5 stars
    These are in my top 3 favorite cookies.I put crushed candy canes in them at Christmas and pipe in the shape of a Hersheys kiss.