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Crisp and snappy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, these pillowy little treats light up any holiday table.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- With only 4 ingredients these cloud-like cookies are sweet and airy and they melt in your mouth.
- They dress up any dessert – you can eat them plain or use them to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
- They are super simple and can be made in any season – just change the colors to pastels and make them for a springtime brunch or Mother’s Day.
Only Four Ingredients
Let’s Make Holiday Meringues
- Place sugar and egg whites into a mixing bowl and stir them with a spoon until fully mixed.
- Add cream of tartar and extract.
- Mix on high speed for 10-15 minutes until soft peaks form.
- Transfer the whipped meringue to a piping bag. Add food coloring if desired.
- Pipe on to parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 225°.
- After 30 minutes, turn the oven off and let meringues cool in the oven as the oven cools. This will take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- After the oven and meringues are cool remove them from the parchment paper.
- Eat right away or store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. See Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips for freezing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the cream of tartar do?
Cream of tartar acts as a stabilizer for the egg whites so they don’t breakdown and the meringues stay light and fluffy.
Where can I buy cream of tartar?
You can buy it the spice isle of any grocery store.
How do I know when the meringues are finished cooking?
The should be dry and crisp to the touch and come off the parchment paper easily.
I’ve heard that you should not make meringues if you live in a humid place or if it’s raining?
Moisture is the enemy of meringues. I live in south Florida where it is very humid, but as long as the house is air conditioned and cool, they turn out just fine.
Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips
- You may see other meringue recipes that say cream of tartar is optional, however, I highly recommend using it when making any type of meringue.
- Make sure the mixing bowl is completely clean and dry before adding the ingredients. Moisture and fat will not allow you to achieve the soft peaks in the meringue.
- If you are separating your own egg whites, do it in separate bowls and not over the mixing bowl. If any of the egg yellows get into the whites, the whites will not be light and fluffy and the peaks will weep.
- To make the stripes in the red and white meringues paint a few lines of red food coloring inside the piping bag. Fill the bag with white, uncolored meringue and pipe onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
- Store meringues in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate them. Humidity will make them soft which is called “weeping”.
- You can freeze them in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.
More KKM Holiday Recipes
- Puff Pastry Cheese Stars
- Cornbread Spinach Cheese Bites
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Whipped Apple Butter
- Pistachio Pomegranate Crostinis
- Scarlet O’Hara Cranberry Cocktail
Holiday Meringues
Crisp and snappy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, these pillowy little treats light up any holiday gathering.
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or other flavored extract)
- food coloring of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225°.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Place the sugar and egg whites into a mixing bowl and stir with a spoon.
- Add the cream of tartar and extract.
- Mix on high speed until soft peaks form (about 10-15 minutes).
- Transfer to a piping bag.
- Add food coloring if desired and pipe on to parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes
- Turn the oven off, do not open the oven door, and let the meringues cool in the oven while the oven cools down for about 1-1/2 – 2 hours.
- Store the meringues in an air-tight container in a dry place.
Notes
- You may see other meringue recipes that say cream of tartar is optional, however, I highly recommend using it when making any type of meringue.
- Make sure the mixing bowl is completely clean and dry before adding the ingredients. Moisture and fat will not allow you to achieve the soft peaks in the meringue.
- If you are separating your own egg whites, do it in separate bowls and not over the mixing bowl. If any of the egg yellows get into the whites, the whites will not be light and fluffy and the peaks will weak.
- To make the stripes in the red and white meringues paint a few lines of red food coloring inside the piping bag. Fill the bag with white, uncolored meringue and pipe onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
- Store meringues in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate them. Humidity will make them soft which is called “weeping”.
- You can freeze them in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.
If you make this recipe, show me a pic! You can upload your photo to your Instagram account and tag me @krazykitchenmom
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