Add a touch of festive cheer to your holiday dessert table with these Christmas meringue cookies. Not only are they incredibly easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients, but their crisp, airy texture and delicate sweetness also offer the perfect guilt-free indulgence after a hearty holiday meal.
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These holiday meringues make delightful homemade gifts, perfect for spreading festive cheer. For an extra touch of charm, package the meringues in decorative tins or cellophane bags. They also make a beautiful addition to cookie baskets, adding a pop of color and sweetness to your holiday treats.
Ingredients
Gather the following ingredients to make the Christmas meringue cookies:
- Egg whites - bring the egg whites to room temperature before starting the recipe, as they whip more easily than cold egg whites.
- Granulated sugar
- Cream of tartar and salt - these ingredients act as stabilizers, helping the meringue hold it's shape and volume when whipped
- Peppermint extract - may replace with vanilla or almond extract
- Sprinkles - I used a combination of red, green and white sprinkles plus mini snowflakes.
- Food coloring - red and green gel food colors
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make these Christmas meringue cookies, follow the directions below. Each step is carefully designed to ensure your cookies turn out light, crisp, and perfectly festive. Be sure to gather all your ingredients and equipment before starting, and take your time with each step for the best results.
Mix meringue
1 - Place egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Using the whip attachment, begin mixing on medium speed. Continue mixing until the egg whites become frothy. Add peppermint extract to mixing bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium high and begin adding sugar slowly (one tablespoon at a time).
2 - Continue whipping egg whites. Mix until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 3–5 minutes. The peaks should stand upright with slightly curled tips when the whisk is inverted. Note: Using a hand mixer will take longer.
Prepare baking pan
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, add small dabs of meringue under the corners of the paper before placing it on the baking pan. This will help adhere the paper and prevent it from shifting during baking.
Pipe Santa hats and Christmas trees
3 - Transfer ⅔ cup of meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Divide the remaining meringue evenly into two bowls, coloring one red and one green. Transfer the red meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, and the green meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
4 - Pipe Christmas trees: start by piping a star of green meringue approximately 1 ½ wide on parchment paper to anchor your tree. Then, pipe two more layers of stars, decreasing the size of each layer as you go. Optional: add several sprinkles to each tree and place a star or snowflake on top.
5 - Pipe Santa hats: begin by piping a red meringue base on parchment paper, about 1½ inches in diameter. Apply light, steady pressure as you raise the piping bag, creating a cone shape. Finish by stopping the flow of meringue once you reach the top of the hat, allowing the tip to taper to a point.
6 - Pipe Santa hat 'fur': pipe mini stars around base of the red Santa hats.
Baking the Christmas meringues
These holiday meringues require a total of 2 ½ hours in the oven. Begin by preheating the oven to 200 ℉ (94℃). Place meringues in the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours, until they are dry to the touch. After baking, turn off the oven and leave meringues inside for an additional hour to ensure they dry out completely.
Equipment
Gather the following equipment before whipping up these Christmas meringue cookies:
- Stand or hand mixer
- Piping bags
- 3 Piping tips - I used the following 3 sizes:
- #6B - large star tip
- #806 - large round tip
- #17 - small star tip
- Measure cups and spoons
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Cookie Sheet Pan
Storage
Place the Christmas meringues in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Top Tip
Slowly add sugar when whipping the egg whites. This will help prevent a grainy texture and add more stability to the cookie. To incorporate sugar into whipped egg whites, add a tablespoon at a time, with the mixer running on medium-high speed. Once all the sugar is added, continue whipping until you achieve stiff, glossy peaks.
More Christmas dessert recipes
Looking for other recipes for your holiday dessert table? Try these:
I hope you enjoy this Christmas meringue cookies as much as my friends and family do!
📋 Recipe
Christmas Meringue Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or
- 3 Piping bags
- 3 Piping tips: one large round, one large star and one small star
- 1 Cookie Sheet Pan
- 1 Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract add more for a stronger peppermint flavor
- food coloring red and green
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 ℉ / 94℃
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Place egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a large bowl.
- Using the whip attachment, begin mixing on medium speed. Continue mixing until the egg whites become frothy.
- Add peppermint extract to mixing bowl.
- Increase mixer speed to medium high and begin adding sugar slowly (one tablespoon at a time).
- Mix until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 3–5 minutes. The peaks should stand upright with slightly curled tips when the whisk is inverted. Note: Using a hand mixer may take longer.
- Transfer ⅔ cup of meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip.
- Divide the remaining meringue evenly, coloring half red and half green. Transfer the red meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, and the green meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
- To keep the parchment paper in place, add small dabs of meringue under the corners of the paper before placing it on the baking pan. This will help adhere the paper and prevent it from shifting during baking.
- Pipe Christmas trees: begin by piping a star of green meringue approximately 1 ½ in diameter on parchment paper to anchor your tree. Then, pipe two more layers of stars, decreasing the size of each layer as you go.
- Pipe Santa hats: begin by piping a red meringue base on parchment paper, about 1½ inches in diameter. Apply light, steady pressure as you raise the piping bag, creating a cone shape. Finish by stopping the flow of meringue once you reach the top of the hat, allowing the tip to taper to a point.
- Pipe Santa hat 'fur': pipe mini stars around the base of the red Santa hats.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 ½ hours (note: the meringues should feel dry to the touch).
- Turn off the oven. Leave meringues in the oven for an additional hour. This allows the meringues to continue to dry.
- Remove meringues from the oven and place on a serving platter. Alternatively, place in an airtight container after cooled. Store for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- This recipe yields cookies with a delicate peppermint flavor. For a bolder taste, simply add an extra ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract. If you prefer a different twist, you can easily swap the peppermint for almond or vanilla extract to suit your preference.
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