Description
These festive Christmas Meringue Cookies are light, airy, and delightfully sweet treats perfect for holiday celebrations. Made from simple ingredients including egg whites, sugar, and vanilla, they feature a crisp outer shell with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Decorated with green food coloring, gold star sprinkles, and rainbow non-pareils, these cookies add a charming colorful touch to your holiday dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Meringue Base
- 4 egg whites (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations
- Green food coloring
- Gold star sprinkles
- Rainbow non-pareils
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside to prepare for baking the meringue cookies.
- Start Whipping Egg Whites: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar. Mix on medium speed until the mixture becomes bubbly and frothy, which helps to stabilize the meringue.
- Add First Half of Sugar: Gradually add about half of the sugar while continuing to whip on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes. This helps dissolve the sugar and start to form a stable meringue.
- Add Remaining Sugar and Vanilla: Add the remaining sugar along with the vanilla extract. Continue mixing on medium speed for another 2 minutes to fully incorporate these ingredients.
- Whip to Stiff Peaks: Increase the mixer speed to high and whip the meringue until stiff peaks form, which should take about 2 more minutes. Be careful not to overwhip, as this can cause the meringue to deflate.
- Color and Decorate the Meringue: Add green food coloring to a portion or all of the meringue as desired and gently fold it in. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip for decorative shaping.
- Pipe Meringue Shapes: Pipe the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet into festive shapes or small dollops. Sprinkle gold star sprinkles and rainbow non-pareils on top for a colorful, festive appearance.
- Bake the Meringues: Bake the piped meringues at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. This low-temperature baking dries out the meringues, giving them their characteristic crispness while keeping the inside slightly chewy.
- Cool and Store: Once baked, turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely inside the oven with the door slightly ajar to prevent cracking. Store in an airtight container once cooled to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Ensure egg whites are at room temperature before whipping for maximum volume.
- Do not overwhip the meringue to avoid deflation and loss of volume.
- Use a clean, grease-free bowl and utensils to achieve proper meringue peaks.
- Decorate promptly after piping to ensure sprinkles stick effectively.
- The low baking temperature is key to drying out the cookies without browning them.
- Store meringue cookies in an airtight container to keep them crisp.
