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Meringue cookies are simple yet elegant treats made with just egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla. This small batch meringue cookies recipe showcases how few ingredients can yield delightful results. These cookies feature a delicate, crunchy shell with a soft, marshmallow-like interior, offering a delightful melt-in-your-mouth experience.
This small batch meringue cookie recipe is ideal for using up a single egg white. With just one egg white, you can either whip up a batch of these light, crispy meringues or explore other delightful options. Consider making a rich Mini Texas Sheet Cake, an elegant Mini Pavlova, a pair of decadent Chocolate Cupcakes, or chewy Coconut Macaroons. For more inspiration, take a look at our variety of egg white recipes.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What Are Meringue Cookies?
- Ingredients
- Recipe Variations
- Guide To Meringue Preparation: Achieving Stiff Peaks
- How To Make Meringue Cookies
- Expert Tips For Foolproof Meringue Cookies
- What To Serve With Meringues
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Favorite Meringue Recipes
- More Small Batch Cookies You’ll Love After Making Meringues
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- Small Batch Meringue Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super Simple: With just 4 ingredients and minimal steps, this recipe is perfect for beginner bakers or anyone looking for a quick and easy treat to make.
- Light and Airy: Meringue cookies have a delightful texture, with a crisp outer shell and a soft, marshmallow-like center.
- Highly Customizable: This recipe is a fantastic base for all sorts of flavor variations. We’ll give you some ideas later!
- Few Ingredients: All you need is one egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, and a touch of vanilla extract.
- Small Batch: This recipe yields a perfect amount for a sweet treat without any leftovers going to waste.
What Are Meringue Cookies?
Meringue cookies are light, airy sweets that melt in your mouth. Made primarily from egg whites and sugar, these cookies are baked at a low temperature until they become dry and crisp. Their outer shell is delicate and crunchy, while the inside remains slightly soft and marshmallow-like.
This small batch recipe is special because it’s perfectly scaled for those who want to enjoy a sweet treat without the leftovers.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this meringue cookies recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Egg white: Meringues require egg whites and this small batch meringue recipe needs just one. Be sure to hang on to the egg yolk and use it in any of our egg yolk recipes like Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Cream Scones, Molasses Cookies, or Potato Gnocchi.
- Cream of tartar: This ingredient helps the whipped egg whites stiffen and hold their shape.
- Sugar: You can substitute granulated sugar with caster sugar or ‘superfine sugar’ for a finer texture.
- Vanilla extract: You can replace it with almond extract or lemon zest for a different flavor.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
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Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Meringues: Fold in a sprinkle of cocoa powder before baking for a chocolatey twist.
- Chocolate Chip Meringues: Fold in 2 tablespoons of chopped chocolate chips or chunks into the meringue..
- Nutty Meringues: Top the cookies with finely chopped nuts before baking.
- Cinnamon Spice Meringues: Add in a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
- Espresso Meringues: Add a small amount of espresso powder for a coffee-flavored twist.
- Food Coloring: Add a few drops of food coloring for a fun twist.
You can also play around with the recipe by using different extracts and spices, or by folding in add-ins like nuts or dried fruit. The key is to make sure any add-ins are dry, as excess moisture can interfere with the meringue formation.
With this recipe, you’re always just a few steps away from creating delicious, melt-in-your-mouth meringue cookies. Enjoy the process and the results!
Guide To Meringue Preparation: Achieving Stiff Peaks
This recipe requires a single egg white and 1/3 cup of sugar. Once the egg white is beaten, it expands in volume and can create about 5-6 meringue cookies.
As the sugar gets incorporated into the egg white, you’ll observe the blend transforming into a dense and shiny mixture – this is an ideal outcome!
Persist in beating the mixture until you observe the formation of stiff peaks. ‘Stiff peaks’ refer to the stage where the meringue mixture is capable of maintaining almost any given shape. It should appear shiny, firm, and possess a smooth, silky texture. When you lift the beaters, the peak that forms remains upright and does not collapse back into the mixture.
If you’ve previously prepared my lemon meringue pie, you’d be well-acquainted with the concept of ‘stiff peaks
How To Make Meringue Cookies
For the complete list of ingredients and detailed instructions, check out the recipe box below.
- Beat the egg white: Beat the egg white and cream of tartar until foamy.
- Add the sugar: Slowly add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while still beating.
- Add vanilla: Pour in the vanilla extract and continue beating until the meringue is shiny and stiff peaks form.
- Bake: Using a tablespoon, drop the meringue onto a lined baking sheet or pipe them onto the baking sheet using a pastry bag, leaving a 1-inch space between each cookie. Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven and then turn the oven off. Leave the cookies undisturbed in the oven for 2 hours.
- Cool: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool.
Expert Tips For Foolproof Meringue Cookies
Making meringue cookies can be challenging. Follow these expert tips to ensure top-quality meringue cookies.
- Ensure no yolk contaminates the egg white while separating them. The presence of yolk can disrupt the egg whites from foaming properly.
- If your egg whites were refrigerated, allow them to reach room temperature before whipping. Warmer eggs whip more effectively than their cold counterparts.
- Use glass, copper, or stainless steel bowls for making meringues. Plastic bowls may contain residual grease that inhibits the egg whites from stiffening.
- Consider incorporating super-fine sugar in your meringues as it dissolves quicker than regular granulated sugar. Be sure to add the sugar gradually, in small increments, while continually beating the mixture.
- Avoid over-beating the egg whites. Stop whipping as soon as stiff peaks form, and the mixture looks glossy and shiny.
- Aim to prepare meringues on dry days. Humidity or rain can influence the outcome of your meringue cookies. In such weather, you may need to extend the baking time.
What To Serve With Meringues
- Enjoy meringue cookies on their own for a light and airy treat.
- Top them with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries for a delightful dessert.
- Drizzle them with melted chocolate or caramel sauce for a decadent twist.
- Partially dip your cookies in melted dark or milk chocolate and let them set for a rich, indulgent twist.
- Use a crushed meringue as a base, topped with lemon curd and fresh mint for an elegant, tangy dessert.
- Sandwich a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream between two meringue cookies for a fun, mini treat.
- Crumble them up and use them as a topping for vanilla ice cream or chocolate pudding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they store well in an airtight container at room temperature. Meringues will last up to 5 days.
Meringue cookies have a sweet, sugary taste with a light, airy, and crisp texture.
Absolutely, just double the ingredient amounts.
Yes! You can add a few drops of gel food coloring to the meringue after it has reached stiff peaks.
The meringue is ready when it forms stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk, the peaks should hold their shape and not droop over.
This usually happens due to under-baking or humidity.
This can happen for a few reasons. Make sure your oven temperature is accurate and the cookies are baking evenly. Also, avoid opening the oven door while the cookies are baking, as this can cause them to deflate and crack.
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
Favorite Meringue Recipes
A few of my favorite meringue recipes include these festive Mardi Gras Meringues, tangy Lemon Drop Meringues, and Berry Topped Mini Pavlovas.
Keep in mind, these aren’t small batch recipes. You’ll need two egg whites for the meringues and six for the pavlova.
More Small Batch Cookies You’ll Love After Making Meringues
If you’re a fan of our small batch meringue cookies, you won’t want to miss these other mouthwatering small batch cookie recipes that are perfect for satisfying those sweet-tooth cravings.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried these meringue cookies or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Small Batch Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a mini baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.
- Beat egg white and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy.
- Add the sugar very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time while still beating.
- Add the vanilla extract and continue beating until the meringue is shiny. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved.
- Meringues may be dropped by the tablespoonful onto the lined baking sheets or piped onto the sheets using a pastry bag, leaving a 1-inch space between each cookie.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and turn the oven off.
- Leave the cookies undisturbed in the oven for 2 hours.
- Remove from the oven to cool.
Notes
- Be careful not to leave any of the egg yolk with the egg white. This will interfere with the egg whites foaming.
- If your egg whites have been kept in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature. Warmer eggs whip faster than cold eggs
- Use glass, copper or stainless steel bowls when making meringues. Plastic bowls can sometimes harbor traces of grease which will prevent the egg whites from getting stiff.
- Use super-fine sugar when making meringues because it dissolves faster than regular sugar and gradually add the sugar, a tiny bit at a time while beating continuously.
- Try not to over-whip the egg whites. The meringue should be shiny and glossy so stop whipping when stiff peaks form.
- If possible, try to avoid making meringues on humid or rainy days. This could affect how the meringue cookies turn out. If necessary, you might need to increase the baking time.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Wonderful recipe. Just made my first mini meringue with left over egg white and they have turned out wonderfully. Loved the key guide lines which I followed to the ‘t’.
Very nice texture, lots of fun baking it, and above all, very easy to make! If you have a leftover egg white this is very useful!
Joanie, Have you tried making these with sugar alternatives like Swerve or Monk fruit sugar? I’m wondering if that would work.
No, I haven’t tested this recipe with other types of sweeteners. If you try it, please check back in and let us know how they worked.
I just tried it with granular monkfruit sweetener. #1 definitely suggest using powdered. #2 I only used 1T+1t and the sweetness seemed ok.