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Vanilla Meringue Cookies

This meringue cookie is light, airy morsels and the perfect fat-free treat to really beat a sweets craving. —Jenni Sharp, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Vanilla Meringue Cookies
Vanilla Meringue Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home
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  • Total Time
    Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min. + standing
  • Makes
    about 5 dozen

Ingredients

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons clear or regular vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • Dash salt
  • 2/3 cup sugar

Directions

  • Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 250°. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.
  • Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a #32 star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. Pipe 1-1/4-in.-diameter cookies 2 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
  • Bake 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn off oven (do not open oven door); leave meringues in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheets. Remove meringues from paper; store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
1 cookie: 10 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 5mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 0 fiber), 0 protein.
Originally published as Vanilla Meringue Stars in Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook 2009

Reviews

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Average Rating:
  • Abby
    May 30, 2018

    SO good! I added a tiny bit of coconut extract, which made them kind of buttery! Love it!

  • njr1980
    May 13, 2018

    These are fantastic! I made them yesterday and ate them all, so I made another batch today. This time I used lemon extract instead of vanilla and added a little yellow food coloring. They taste great, but the lemon deflated the meringue a bit, so I didn’t get quite as many. Still turned out crisp and yummy, I may try raspberry next and see where things go.

  • Gene
    Apr 30, 2018

    I really like this recipe... first of all I make egg custard using 3 egg yolks... this recipe is one of the few which calls for 3 whites..... Today, I find I am out of white sugar... I used brown! GREAT!!

  • beckyjayne17
    Apr 26, 2018

    Love this recipe! I can't count how many times I've made it! I follow the instructions exactly as written, and my cookies always turn out perfectly. I find it doesn't take 7 minutes for stiff peaks to form once I add the sugar, so I just keep an eye on the meringue and stop mixing once stiff peaks form. This is my go-to recipe every time!

  • Beryl
    Apr 7, 2018

    My 2nd attempt at making merinque. This time the mixture was more stable. It came out crispy. Needs a little more room for improvement. They came out a little deflated.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214740269792886&set=pcb.10214740271712934&type=3

  • Ruby
    Mar 4, 2018

    They had great texture but a little too sweet and too much vanilla. Overall, I would use this recipe but I would lower the amount of sugar and vanilla.

  • Diane
    Dec 23, 2017

    I have made meringue cookies in the past using a different recipe. They always come out perfect. I just made them using this recipe. Not thrilled. I followed directions as stated and turned oven off after 35 minutes and left them sitting in oven for the 1 hour as stated. I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet as stated in the directions. The cookies are burnt on the bottom, they are not as sweet and airy previous recipe.

  • Olivia
    Dec 18, 2017

    If you want perfect meringues, substitute the granulated sugar with powdered sugar. This was my first time making these and I misread the directions. I accidentally used powdered sugar instead and they turned out to be the best meringues I have ever had! They are light, crispy, sweet, and they melt in your mouth!

  • Katie
    Dec 14, 2017

    The baking instructions for this recipe are spot on. I have struggled with chewy meringues but this yielded perfectly airy and crispy cookies. I will suggest that you whip the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until you form stiff glossy peaks. Then fold in the extract (I add peppermint) . I also add mini chocolate chips (but you won’t be able to pipe the meringue, only scoop it). The first go around for me with this recipe had to be pitched because the egg whites never got pass white, glossy and runny with the way these instructions are written.

  • Ashlie
    Dec 13, 2017

    my rating of this recipe

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