Vanilla Meringue Cookies

Name: Vanilla Meringue Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 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

Want to learn how to make meringues? This meringue cookie is light, airy morsels and the perfect fat-free treat to really beat a sweets craving. —Jenni Sharp, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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.

Test Kitchen Tips

Older, room-temperature eggs produce better meringues. Their whites can be beaten to loftier heights!

It’s best to make meringues on a dry day. On humid or rainy days, they can absorb moisture and become limp or sticky.

Need more meringue pointers? Read our full guide here.

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:

Jodie

Dec 8, 2018

This is my first time making meringue cookies and they turned out PERFECT. They melt in your mouth. I followed the recipe completely except for subbing the tartar for white vinegar. Note: they will be chewy until they are completely cooled. So let them cool before tasting. When warm, they turn to a hard lump in your mouth.
Sarah

Oct 22, 2018

I'm new. How am I going to know if the cookies are firm to the touch if I can't open the oven door?
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.
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!