How to Make Meringue Kisses

Perfectly light and airy meringue kisses with the perfect crisp exterior and a soft, marshmallowy interior. Perfect for topping your favorite desserts or eating on their own! 

Why you'll love it

What kind of meringue do we use?

There are three main types of meringue that you can use: French, Italian, and Swiss. Typically, French is more delicate than the latter two, but it also results in an airier meringue cookie and it is the type used here. Here is a brief overview of the differences.

• French - Granulated sugar is slowly added to the meringue and whipped well to help dissolve the sugar.
• Italian - A very hot simple syrup is drizzled into the meringue as it is being whipped. 
• Swiss - The egg whites and sugar are cooked over steam to slowly heat the egg whites and help the sugar dissolve. 

Key ingredients

The best meringue uses very simple ingredients, and these kisses are no exception. The best part is that all the ingredients should be at your local grocery store if you don't have them already.  

• Egg whites - The most important ingredient and the process of separating the whites from the egg yolks is very important because you cannot have any of the yolk in the whites. I recommend separating the eggs in a separate bowl one at a time. Room temperature eggs work the best for separating and for whipping into meringue. 
• Sugar - Superfine sugar has a is just sugar granules that have a finer grain so it incorporates more easily into the meringue without leaving a grainy texture. If you do not have superfine sugar, you can pulse the sugar in a food processor for a few times before using. 
• Cream of tartar - This is one of those optional, but not really ingredients. It helps to stabilize the meringue so you can get beautiful glossy stiff peaks. 

How to make

If making meringue kisses intimidates you, the process is very simple.

1. Separate the egg whites and add them to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat using a hand mixer or whisk attachment on high speed until it becomes very frothy and foamy. Add in your cream of tartar and begin to slowly add in your sugar. 
3. Continue to beat until it forms stiff peaks and still looks shiny, and then slowly beat in your flavorings. 
4. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip. 
5. Pipe the meringue into little drops onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
6. Bake until you can easily lift a meringue off the parchment paper easily. 

Variations

There are so many ways you can make your little meringues a lot of tun. 

• Add in your favorite extracts like vanilla extract or almond extract.
• Fold in cocoa powder or a touch of powdered freeze-dried fruit. 
• Stir in gel food coloring or brush stripes of food coloring inside your pastry bag before adding in the meringue to create cute stripes.
• You can also pipe your meringue over chocolate chips for a delicious surprise in the center

Storage

Meringue cookies need to be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. This is to prevent it from being exposed to humidity. The humidity will make the outside of the meringue soft and sticky. As such, it is not advisable to keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.  They should last for about at least two weeks.

Recipe Card

How to Make Meringue Kisses

Amanda Powell

Light and airy meringue kisses. Perfect on their own or added into your favorite desserts

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Basics

Cuisine French

Servings 2 dozen

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 large egg white room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ⅓ cup superfine granulated sugar

Optional Flavor Add-ins

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ cup hazelnut flour*
• ¼ cup almond flour*
• ¼ cup coconut flour or unsweetened shredded coconut*
• ½ teaspoon peppermint
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Whisk the egg white on medium until soft peaks form. Add a pinch of sugar and the cream of tartar, then beat until stiff peaks form, but not dry.
• Slowly add in the remaining sugar and beat until glossy. Add in your desired flavors and beat until just incorporated. If you want to make several flavors, divide the meringue into separate bowls and beat in each flavor separately.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, using a dot of the meringue on the corners to glue the parchment paper down onto the baking sheet.
• Attach a small round piping tip to a pastry bag and fill with the meringue. Pipe small kisses on the parchment paper half an inch separating the kisses. The best way to do this is to hold the piping bag at a 90 degree angle a centimeter or so from the paper and applying enough pressure that a small dollop of meringue comes out, then releasing the pressure as you pull up and away from the parchment paper. You should be able to get most of the meringue on one baking sheet.
• Bake for about two hours, turning the baking sheet by 180 degrees every 45 minutes. Optionally crack open the oven door and allow the baking sheet to sit in the oven for another hour (if you are in a pinch, you can skip this and the insides of your meringues will be even softer. If you are using two baking sheets, I recommend baking both at the same time on different racks.

Notes

*When adding in a nut flour, gently fold in the ingredients instead of beating them in as you would an extract or spice

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