These Easy Meringue Cookies are sweet, crispy and as light as a cloud. They are perfect for any occasion and can be dressed up with different colors of flavors or used as decor on cakes and pies.
Also known as Forgotten Cookies, Meringue Cookies are simple to make (with only 3 ingredients + water) and this fat-free dessert will melt in your mouth! They taste a little like crunchy marshmallows ❤️️
I honestly have no memory of eating these before my college years. My first memory is actually from my junior year of college – when some friends threw me a bridal shower after Richy and I got engaged.
My friend Anna that I worked with at the library made Easy Meringue Cookies (she called them Forgotten Cookies) and brought them to the shower. I instantly loved them!
She shared the recipe with me way back then (circa 1995 or 1996) and for whatever reason, I only made them a handful of times after that.
But this past week I made them for a special cake topper. And since I had so much leftover, I decided to take some pictures and share the recipe here.
I make the Meringue Cookies using meringue powder. I don’t know if egg whites are more common but the meringue powder has always worked perfectly for me, so I stick with it. Plus, I always have it in my cake room for royal icing.
If you want to make them with egg whites, the standard substitution is to use one egg white to replace two tablespoons of meringue powder.
Meringue Cookie Ingredients:
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I’ve tried several brands but I really prefer CK Meringue Powder. The flavor is good and the outcome is reliable. It also doesn’t smell funky like some cheaper brands 😉
Alrighty – I didn’t do step-by-step photos, but I do have a few tips for you.
Tips for Perfect Meringues:
- Do not stop beating until you have really stiff peaks – it will take longer than you think. You want your batter to be smooth (not grainy from sugar), glossy and thick!
- Bake the meringue cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. This will make cleanup super easy! I used parchment paper!
- Add in a tiny drop of color, or stripe your bag for pretty colors. Change out the vanilla extract for orange, peppermint or some other flavor to change them up!
- Also, to make your cookies really pretty and festive, pipe them with a large star tip. I used an Ateco #825.
- Leave the cookies in the oven overnight so they dry out really well. This will make them perfectly light and crispy!
- If your Meringue Cookies get chewy after baking, they can be baked again for 10-15 minutes to bring back the crunch!
Why are they called Forgotten Cookies?
Anna told me that they were called “Forgotten Cookies” because after you bake them, you turn the oven off, open the door and forget about them overnight.
Just leave them there to finish crisping up and they’ll be perfectly dry and crispy by morning! Isn’t that fun?
The printable recipe is below:
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Easy Meringue Cookies
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5 dozen 1x
Description
These Easy Meringue Cookies are sweet, crispy and as light as a cloud. They are perfect for any occasion and can be dressed up with different colors of flavors or used as decor on cakes and pies. Also known as Forgotten Cookies, Meringue Cookies are simple to make (with only 3 ingredients + water) and this fat-free dessert will melt in your mouth! They taste a little like crunchy marshmallows!
Ingredients
1/4 cup meringue powder or two egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or other flavor of your choice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the meringue powder and water. Mix with the whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer still running on high, gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s all used and stiff peaks form. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Check the batter for smoothness by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to be sure all sugar is disolved and it’s no longer gritty. If it is grainy, mix longer until it’s smooth and glossy.
- Mix in vanilla (or other flavor).
- Scoop some batter into a piping bag fitted with large piping tip. Pipe desired shapes onto the cookie sheets.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 250°F. Turn the oven off, slightly open the oven door and leave the cookies overnight (or for 6-8 hours) until they’re completely dry and crispy. Peel off and enjoy!
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: forgotten, cookies, forgotten cookies, meringues, meringue cookies, easy meringue cookies, easy, simple, basic, marshmallows
Thank you so much for this recipe! I cant wait to try it out. Back home in Sri Lanka, these are called ‘kisses’ (no idea why…)
Is there a reason why the oven is pre heated to 250 but then actually baked at 325?
Thank you!
Helanga
So sorry! I bake all of my cakes/cupcakes at 325° and I must have just been in auto-mode when I said that. It’s updated and it should be 250°F.
Thank you! Thats what i thought…
I make these using egg whites instead of the powder
and add pecans- I love them!
★★★★★
I made some mixing in mini chocolate chips and they were yum too!
Hi! How many egg whites would i need to use to substitute the powder for this recipe?
Thanks!
Have a blessed thanksgiving!
These meringue cookies would be fun with alittle bit of food coloring for Christmas too! The cookie tray would pop with more color! Lol.
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving Day with your family Rose!
Yes!! I love adding stripes of color!!
My grandmother made these all the time and taught me how to. She told me they were called forgotten cookies because after baking all day the last thing that would be made is these cookies and being so tired from baking all day the cookies would be forgotten after putting them in the oven and shutting it off. My grandmother put rice krispies, chocolate chips and nuts. They were delicious! One time I made mushrooms by piping the caps and stems and then dipping the bottom of the caps in chocolate and attaching the stems. A light dusting of cocoa powder and they look so cute!
Oh goodness… I love that!!
Two questions:
1) can you add the food coloring in the “batter” while whipping?
2) if you do an add-in line pecans or choc chips when do you add them?
They look fantastic. For some reason I’ve always thought these were hard to make. ♀️
I would stir in the color, chocolate chips and/or pecans after whipping and just before piping. They’re not hard at all!!
Hi Rose, I have a few questions. If I use egg whites instead of the merengue powder do I still add the water? I’ve seen one other recipe that adds water to the egg whites so I’m wondering what difference does it make in the cookies when you add water. Thanks!
Absolutley awesome! These mereinguies are light and fluffy, I reccomend leaving them in the oven overngiht. They have a slightly bitter taste from the powder if you use too much, so be really careful and to be extra sure try using extra 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
★★★★★
How long will these stay fresh? Is there a way to extend the time (freeze) ?
In an airtight container, you can keep them at room temp for a couple of weeks. Beyond that, I do recommend freezing for up to 3 months.
Hi, I am wondering if you have tried any of the sugar substitutes such as granular monk fruit? I’d like to try a sugar-free version.
★★★★★
Hello Rose,
I just made a half-batch with a hint of peppermint oil, in addition to a few leftover single-origin chocolate chips that me and my Mum had in our pantry; I had never worked with a pastry bag before, so that was a very difficult part for me. I really like the “forgotten” crunchy marshmallow bit, too; it hopefully makes these cookies more exciting to eat (despite the long, somewhat seemingly eternal wait!). This is my first-ever time trying to make a meringue cookie from scratch. I’ll let you know how these turn out. One question, though: Do you think that some meringue cookies can be a bit Styrofoam-like in texture?
The texture of meringue cookies is definitely one of those things I think most people either love or hate!
Hi could you please post the metric conversions of the recipe with the meringue powder. Thank you
Great tips with this recipe, love the idea of adding flavors!
Easy recipe! I added the color with almond flavor while it was still whipping and they came out great!! I’ve always been petrified to make these, but it was easier than I thought. Thank you for such an easy recipe.
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So happy to hear this – thanks for your feedback Patti!
Hi Rose, I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can help me with. I’m planning on making meringue cookies for a birthday party. There are tons of recipes but yours stood out because water is an ingredient. If I’m substituting the meringue powder for egg whites should I still add the water to the egg whites? Most recipes don’t add water so what does adding water do to the cookie? Lastly, are these overly sweet? Normally I see a 1/4-1/3 ratio per egg white. Is the 1 1/3 cup sugar based on the fact that we have increasing the amount of egg white liquid? Thank you kindly!
This recipe was shared with me years ago and it works, so I use it and share it. I really can’t speak to the ratios or substitutions with other recipes or how/why they work. If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think.
Is there a reason they only bake for 45 minutes? All the other recipes that I’ve come across want to bake at 200 for 2 hours then shut the oven off just curious
I have been beating for a long time now and it still feels grainy :/ what can I do?
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Hi, do you think can I melt the sugar in the water, then add the syrup to the meringue powder and whip it up after?