Light airy Peppermint Meringue Cookies are perfect for the holiday season. Melt-in-your-mouth cookies with crushed peppermint candies are a guilt-free festive treat!
It's that cookie platter time of year and nothing saves the day like the Peppermint Meringues recipe. They are cute, festive, easy to make and full of peppermint flavor.
Perfect meringues really do melt in your mouth. They have a crisp exterior and slightly chewy center. Perfect for guilt-free dessert.
They are a fun treat and great gift. They are also easy to change up (like our Spice Meringue Cookies). Try our easy meringue recipe for cookies and pops too.
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What makes this skinny?
The ingredients are basically egg whites and ¾ cup granulated sugar. There is no butter, oil or flour (more calorie dense ingredients).
Because the egg whites are whipped the recipe makes 63 bite-size cookies, spreading out the ingredients across lots of cookies. Plenty to enjoy a few with little calories.
Recipe Ingredients Notes
Egg whites. Use fresh large egg whites. Be sure to not include any egg yolk. Use real eggs not egg whites in the carton.
Cream of tartar. This acts as a stabilizer allowing whipped eggs whites to fluff up to several times their original size and hold their structure.
Food coloring. We prefer gel food coloring. You won't need much and the color is brilliant. If you prefer a white meringue leave the food coloring out.
Wilton peppermint crunch holiday sprinkles. These are finely chopped peppermint bits that can be found where baking supplies are sold (other brands make them too). Crushed peppermints or peppermint candy canes can be used as well.
How to make Peppermint Meringues - Step-by-Step
Meringues transform from stiff glossy peaks to a matte surface of meringue when they are done. Baking on a low oven temperature allows the cookies to set without cracking.
STEP 1. Preparation
Pre heat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (photo 1).
STEP 2. Make the meringue
Using an electric mixer (hand held or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment) beat egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until they are foamy (photos 2-3).
Add in the cream of tartar (photo 4) and continue mixing until soft peaks have formed (photo 5).
Continue mixing and slowly add in the sugar (photo 6) until stiff peaks form (they will be stiff shiny peaks) (photo 8).
On low speed mix in the desired amount of food coloring (photo 7).
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in ½ of the peppermint sprinkles with a spatula (photo 9).
STEP 3. Pipe meringues
Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (photo 10). Pipe 1-inch mounds onto the prepared cookie sheets, placing them 1 inch apart (photo 11).
Sprinkle the tops with the remaining peppermint sprinkles (photo 12).
STEP 4. Bake
Bake meringues for 1 hour. At the 1-hour mark, shut off the oven and crack the oven door for 5 minutes.
At the 5 minute mark shut the door, with the oven still off, and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 1 hour to allow them to completely dry out (photo 13).
Variations
Use a star piping tip. Depending on the size of the peppermint sprinkles or crushed candy cane you may be able to use a large open star tip such as the 1M from Wilton. A large star tip will make star shapes of the meringues.
No piping bag? No problem! Use a gallon plastic freezer bag instead (like Ziploc brand). Snip off a corner and insert the piping tip OR pipe from the corner of the bag directly.
No piping option. If you do not have a pastry bag or would prefer not to pipe the cookies spoon meringue onto the baking sheet instead. Another option would be to use a small cookie dough scoop and drop mounds onto the cookie sheet.
Mini chocolate chips. For a swap in OR to make chocolate peppermint meringues add some mini chocolate chips.
Pro Tips
Start with a clean bowl. To whip the meringue starting with a clean bowl is a must.
Use a stand mixer if possible. You'll get to the firm peaks stage much faster with a stand mixer.
Humidity. Avoid making meringues on humid days. The sugar in the meringue mixture will absorb the moisture from the air making it difficult to create the needed stiff peaks. High humidity can turn meringues soft and sticky after they are baked too. Be sure to store in a well sealed container and keep them in a cool, dry location.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container at room temperature (they should be in a cool dry place). Will stay good for up to 2 weeks.
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Recipe
Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites use fresh egg whites not from a carton
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Red food coloring
- ⅓ cup Wilton peppermint crunch holiday sprinkles crushed peppermints or candy canes can be used as well
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two baking large sheets with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer (stand mixer fitted with a whisk recommended), beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until they are foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks have formed.
- Continue beating while slowly adding the sugar until stiff glossy peaks form.
- Set the mixer on low speed and mix in the desired amount of food coloring.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in ½ of the peppermint sprinkles with a spatula.
- Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 1-inch mounds onto the parchment paper, placing them 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining peppermint sprinkles.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour. At the 1-hour mark, shut off the oven and crack the oven door for 5 minutes. At the 5 minute mark shut the door, with the oven still off, and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 1 hour to allow them to completely dry out.
Beth says
These are absolutely delicious. The flavors are perfect with the meringue textures. I'm going to be making a double batch of these for Christmas.
Jess says
These are the perfect holiday treat!!
Joanne says
These were a great addition to our holiday sweets. Everyone loved them.
Sue says
The PERFECT skinny dessert ~ Happy Holidays Toni!
Barbara T says
These seriously come out perfect every time I make them. They look fancy but are so easy!
Andrea says
Light, airy and perfect holiday flavors! Yummy!
Eliza says
What a great holiday recipe! I love knowing that these tasty, minty morsels are gluten free and low calorie, and it's amazing that you get more than 60 cookies from the batch. Thanks for another winning recipe from Make It Skinny Please.
(P.S. Your photography for these cookies is GORGEOUS!)
Toni Dash says
Thanks so much!
Jyoti Behrani says
Great recipe! Just made these and they are incredible! The lightest and the most prettiest cookie I've ever made. Thanks for sharing!
Andrea says
Loving the peppermint flavor of these meringues! They look melt in your mouth delicious!
Gwynn Galvin says
These cookies are festive and delicious and perfect for my holiday cookie swap!
Andrea Thueson says
I am a sucker for anything peppermint flavored, especially this time of year. And these cookies are perfection. I can't get over that they are only 15 calories per cookie!
wilhelmina says
These are like eating a crisp little cloud. So delicious and wonderfully flavored. They are really much easier to make than I thought and my family was super impressed with them!
Jessica Burgess says
WOW! We made these this weekend for a cookie exchange party and everyone was asking for the recipe!! Thank YOU for making me the cookie hero! Haha!