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Peppermint Meringues

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Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. ‘Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.

Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. 'Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.Peppermint Meringues

I also have a similar recipe using Dark Chocolate and Mint Chip Clouds. More of my favorite holiday treats are Skinny Gingerbread Cookies and No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies.

And what can be more symbolic this time of year than peppermint flavored cookies.

Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. 'Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.

The taste of these meringues is somewhere between a cookie and a candy cane. I found out by accident that dissolving one into my morning coffee with a little whipped cream instantly makes me feel like I’m drinking a Starbucks Peppermint Latte. I bet it would be yummy in hot cocoa too!

Meringues are made with egg whites and sugar, so they are naturally low-fat and gluten-free. They can be flavored with different extracts to get different results, and baking them in different temperatures will yield different textures. Some of my favorites varieties include the Chocolate Chip Clouds, Black and White Clouds, and To Die For Coconut Cookies.

How To Make Peppermint Meringues

Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. 'Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.

These beautiful candy cane gems are colored with a paint brush and a little gel paste food coloring (available at Michaels) just before piping to give you the peppermint stripe. Completely optional of course, but it really makes the cookie. Always use metal bowls and beaters and be sure they are squeaky clean before making meringues to guarantee good results.

For more skinny cookie recipes to add to your cookie exchange this holiday season, click here.

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Peppermint Meringues

4.84 from 6 votes
2
Cals:21
Protein:0.5
Carbs:5
Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. 'Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Light and airy peppermint swirls in delicious meringues cookies. 'Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.
Yield: 30 servings
Serving Size: 3 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3 large large egg whites
  • 3/4 cu sugar
  • 1 drop peppermint concentrate , or 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
  • Red gel-paste food coloring

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Wilton M1). Set aside.
  • Place egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer.
  • Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  • Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
  • Mix in peppermint concentrate.
  • Using a new small paintbrush, paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside the pastry bag.
  • Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue.
  • Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets.
  • Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time.
  • Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes.
  • Shut the oven off and leave in the oven for 30 minutes.
  • Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks then place in a sealed container.

Last Step:

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Video

Notes

Makes 90 - 100 small cookies.
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Nutrition

Serving: 3 cookies, Calories: 21 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 0.5 g, Sodium: 6 mg, Sugar: 5 g

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143 comments on “Peppermint Meringues”

  1. I made these with leftover egg whites from making creme patissiere and they were a hit! The only thing I did differently was add 1 drop of peppermint oil instead of using an extract. I will definitely be making these again!

  2. Lovely! I couldn’t find my M1 tip so mine are little wee guys (so I can eat more lol!). I used a few granules of colored red and green sugars on the tops because I didn’t have disposable bags for the stripes. Playing with the timing while I wait for them to be done. Thanks for the recipe and video! 🤶🏻

  3. Hi- I tried to make these today and no luck. I followed your instructions about stirring the whites and sugar over simmering water, which I’ve never done before when making any sort of meringue type thing. With the whisk attachment on my mixer, I beat them for SO LONG and didn’t get anywhere near stiff peaks. Started over with super clean bowl, fresh eggs, etc… no luck. Any thoughts for me? I was really excited to try the peppermint flavor with the red stripes! 

  4. Avatar photo
    Vanilla & Peppermint

    I love these so much! I couldn’t get the peaks to form so I added another egg white and some cornstarch. I also used vanilla extract instead of peppermint extract and it still works fine!

  5. Please can someone help — is it 175 F?  Based in the UK and really want to try these — am assuming you’re working in Fahrenheit but have not made little meringues like this before..,

    1. Yes it is in Fahrenheit. Low and slow bake for these cookies or else they will scorch or turn brown and it won’t be as pretty white. 

  6. I made these last year and they were a hit. They really do taste like those little starlight mints. I am making them again right now except this time I am going to dip the bottoms of them in a little white chocolate!

  7. I made these at Christmas last year and they were PERFECT! We made more at New Years with a cake batter extract and those were so yummy too! Perfect light little something that can fit into all the years celebrations. 

  8. This is my new favorite holiday treat recipe. It was a huge hit with my family. I used 1/2 teaspoon of McCormick’s pure peppermint extract, which yielded a very pronounced peppermint flavor. We liked it but I might consider reducing it slightly the next time. I also had to bake them much longer than the recipe indicated, but it was worth it!

  9. Just made these today. So fun! I called them “candy cane cookies” and my 4 year old said “RAINBOW candy canes, cuz I don’t like regular candy canes” LOL. So I made two batches. One peppermint with red stripes and one with almond extract (best I could do for fruity without going to the store) with pink, orange and green stripes. They are SO cute!

    One thing I’m thinking of for the people who are saying they can’t get stiff peaks – Make sure your mixing bowl, beaters and spatula are COMPLETELY grease free. My mother always taught me to run everything under super hot water and then wipe down with paper towels before making meringue. Also, I have a hard time getting stiff peaks with my old mixer. For one, it doesn’t have the speed and power of the newer mixers (It’s a 20 year old generic model) and I don’t have whisk beaters. They still look super cute even though I only got soft peaks. 🙂

  10. Help…. Just put these in the oven…… I had stiff peaks then I added  peppermint extract and everything went flat.  What did I do wrong…..

  11. OMG, they worked!! I have never had success with meringue and tonight I made the most perfect little star cookies. These are so super cute and I’m thrilled. Thanks for another great recipe!

  12. I tried making these today,(made two batches) and neither of them worked. The first completely fell in on itself after adding the peppermint so i made meringue slice, and the second burnt within 40 minutes and almost caught fire. I think I’ll just stick to my original recipe.

  13. or just skip the boiling process altogether. beat the egg whites alone then when it gets a bit stiff add sugar and when peaks are real nice and stiff add the rest.it is much quicker.

  14. Unfortunately these didn't work for me. I couldn't get stiff peaks to form. I followed the recipe and was using a metal bowl, but alas, soft peaks is as far as I could get. They look beautiful.

  15. I made these yesterday – easy & delicious! I was planning on giving them out for Christmas presents, BUT i think I may have to make another batch!

  16. I pinned this recipe forever ago, but finally got around to making them yesterday. I skipped the food coloring + swapped the peppermint extract for raspberry extract. Also, since I don't have a pastry bag, I just used a zipper baggie with a corner snipped off.
    These came out beautifully!
    So light and fluffy, and the flavor is lovely…subtly sweet.
    I think these may become a go-to dessert for me!

  17. I would love to know how long these last for, I have a lot of baking to do around Christmas and I am trying to organise the oven schedule, could I make these a few days before Christmas?? would they last or start going soft and chewy?
    Thanks

  18. I made them this weekend and although they definitely weren't as pretty, they were pretty good! I added a little chocolate and it was awesome. I'm actually going to try different flavors of these. Apple is in my oven right now.

  19. These turned out good! Mine are a little more pink than red but they're still so cute! And I only got thirty cookies. When I melt them in my coffee they don't really melt, but they're still good.

  20. I am making these now!! Didn´t have a pastry bag or gel but was bound and determined to do it and they are in the oven now! I swear I was MacGyver in another life! Thanks for your site Gina – I love it and as a vegan love that I can adapt so many of your recipes to fit my needs (not theses of course but they aren´t for me!) I am also starting running this year and have my first 5k in March here in Madrid, Spain!! Good luck to you, thanks for everything and Feliz Año Nuevo!!!!!

  21. I never tasted them before so can't compare but they were really hevenly. I probaby didn't have heat proof mixer so at first try it didn't work. then I wipped eggwhites before adding sugar without heating. didn't have pipermint so vanilla extract. It came out so perfect. Can't believe it. My 21 month old gobal them out. Definitely a keeper.
    thanks.

  22. Avatar photo
    AnnMarie Melendrez

    Does anyone think these are too strong? I only used 3/4 of the 1/2 tsp and when I taste the mixture they are Altoid like. I am hoping they mellow out after baking. They were super easy and look so pretty! I may make another batch and just use a drop of the extra. Quick and easy recipe. I guess I could dip these in chocolate ganache after they cool- that might help mellow.

  23. My first attempt met with abject failure. I just could NOT get stiff peaks to form with the lightly heated whites. The second time I treated it like a pavlova.. no heating. Beat the whites on low till foamy, added 1/4tsp cream of tarter for stability, then added super-fine sugar at medium speed 1 tblsp at a time. Then switched to high speed until the stiff peaks formed. If a pinch between your fingers is gritty, beat a little longer until that pinch is smooth. At that point I switched back to this recipe as written.. a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY RECIPE! Thank you so much for posting this! I've made these three times now (including that first failure), and these peppermint stars just make a wonderful presentation and are perfect for holiday gift giving. They've been a huge hit this year, and I'm sure they're about to become a holiday tradition for us.

  24. I followed directions, used exactly the right ingredients & still didn't get the stiff peaks. I mixed for a very long time, but nothing, still runny. What a mess!

    1. Did you use egg whites from the carton? They have been pasteurized and homogenized so they just won’t play nice unfortunately. 

  25. I made this last night and they are just so cute!! I can't wait to do a post about it! Thanks for the inspiration!! My office loves them! I used a kitchenAid stand mixer and it made the peaks fine! =)

    Ergo – Blog

  26. I'm having the same problem as several of the precious posters. On my second batch and am about to give up. Real eggs and real sugar and the peaks never formed 🙁 Any idea of what could be going wrong?

  27. Ok, so I am having a very hard time with these. I like to think myself a pretty experienced baker, this is my first try at meringues though…I have a Kitchenaid mixer and everything is great until I add the sugar and the peppermint extract…any tips?

    1. Avatar photo
      Folkloregonian

      Make sure you're adding the sugar very slowly; two tablespoons at a time is the speed I've seen elsewhere. And I'm not sure about this, but make sure you've got peppermint extract and not oil, because oil will cause the meringue to break.

  28. I made these, they look great, but are so sticky I can't touch them without sticking to me. How can I fix this to give out to people? Thanks!!

  29. The same thing happened to me as a couple of other posters…had beautiful stiff peaks until I added the peppermint. Then all the egg whites fell 🙁 What went wrong?!
    Going to try agin and put the extract in at the liquid stage OR maybe flavor the food coloring. Will let you know.

  30. Seriously one of the most frusterating baking experiences ever! And I have made the black and white chocolate clouds so many times. Gina's are so beautiful but mine also turned into messy buttons instead of beautiful fluffy mountains. But they tasted good at least….

  31. At first I thought these tasted like dried-up toothpaste but they quickly grew on me. I've taken them to a birthday party and a Christmas party at work, and there are certain people who are wild about them! I am wondering how you got 90-100 meringues out of the recipe, though. I scaled it up to use 4 egg whites, and probably got only half as many of the same size (if that).

  32. I figured out where I went wrong so this will serve as a warning for anyone else I guess. Liquid egg whites in the carton do not work. I picked up real eggs while I was at the store and tried that and that made all the difference. 5-7 min of whipping and I was ready to go. I also held off on putting the peppermint in until the sugar and egg whites were whipped and mixed that in, but I think it was more the real egg whites vs the carton egg whites. Which…to be honest that makes me really wonder what they do to those egg whites in the carton to make them that vastly different o_O. Anyway, mystery solved.

    1. Avatar photo
      Folkloregonian

      Having any fat/oil in the mix will cause the meringue to "break" (not get stiff). Egg whites in the carton have likely not been separated with enough care to ensure that there are no trace amounts of yolk in them.

      This is also why metal bowls and beaters are highly recommended, because plastic will hold oils. Glad you got them to work!

    2. Avatar photo
      Komal Balakrishnan

      I use carton egg whites all the time and it does work. Might be a bad batch or oil in the bowl/beater.

  33. Ok, I'm confused as to what I did wrong here. I don't have a Kitchen Aid but I used my electric mixer. I got the sugar melted, put in the peppermint extract and started to mix it with the electric mixer but after 35 minutes it was still slightly runny and I gave up and went on to piping them and obviously they fell into buttons instead of cute stars. Really? Does it take THAT long to get it stiff enough? Or should I have mixed it and gotten it set up and then mixed in the peppermint?

  34. Instead of using a paint brush, I use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent decorator with the medium size star tip. I dribbled the food coloring down the side of the tube, shoved the meringue on top, and squeezed out the drops. So easy!

  35. I was so excited about these and still am — but my first batch is going to be a total bust I'm afraid. I have a handheld mixer and suspect I didn't beat long enough, probably 16-20 minutes but the mis was still a little loose. I piped them and they fell and look more button like. I put them in the oven anyway hoping they will taste yummy despite the problems. Oh, and I didn't have a metal bowl so I used Pyrex. Any tips or hints experienced meringuers?

  36. These are just lovely. I don't have a lot of experience working with meringue, but have bookmarked for when I'm feeling both brave and adventurous!

  37. OH MY GOSH! I'm am drooling! Going to make these tomorrow to make sure I can do it right, then again in a few weeks for a cookie exchange!

  38. In my black friday adventures I bought myself a kitchen Aid mixer…the firs thing I'm going to tackle is meringues! These peppermint meringues look so yummy and adorable!! I gotta make them!! =)

    Ergo – Blog

  39. I JUST made these and they turned out great! I didn't get nearly 90 cookies out of the recipe, much closer to 50, however, I think I used a tip that was a little too large. I also am not sure I beat the egg mixture quite long enough (I have never worked with meringue), but they still taste great. Advice to those of you that are newer to pastry bags like me…try to get as much as the meringue in the first time or use a clean pastry bag with your second batch or else the cookies at the end will turn out pink because all gel and meringue will just start to mix instead of stripe.

  40. I have been wanting to try meringues but am worried about the 30 minute hold time in the oven after baking. Will this work if my oven has a fan that makes it cool off faster? Or do I need to lengthen the baking time?

  41. Avatar photo
    Nicole @ Daily Dish Recipes

    Oh my goodness, they are so gorgeous. They look rather tasty but I am also seeing them to decorate the table, or fill a beautiful vase on the table. Your little star shapes turned out so perfect.

  42. I have made these cookies with Cinnamon Red Hots too. Also very pretty and tasty. My family love them, especially when I put mini chocolate chips in them instead of peppermint.

  43. I have the same question as Elaine. I only have a handheld mixer. Does anyone know if that will work?

    1. Avatar photo
      Colleen (aka Phyre)

      Yes, it should work, you should judge mixing time by whether or not you can turn your bowl over and the contents stay put.

  44. I don't have a Kitchen Aid type standing mixer – just the handheld kind. Will I have trouble with this recipe? Thanks – I love your site!!

    1. Avatar photo
      Colleen (aka Phyre)

      Yes, it should work, you should judge mixing time by whether or not you can turn your bowl over and the contents stay put.

  45. Avatar photo
    Elaine @ Cooking to Perfection

    These are absolutely gorgeous! Almost too pretty to eat. This recipe is going on my list of things to make for my holiday party. 🙂

  46. Avatar photo
    Angela @ Honey, I Shrunk the Mom

    Oh, these are so cute! I am nervous about painting in the bag though. I'm so darned messy! 😉 But I can't wait to give this a try. As always, Gina, thanks!!

    1. Painting the bag was the trickiest part! But if it’s not perfect, you can’t tell once you pipe them.

  47. I think you can make them sugar free, but you have to add cream of tartar to the mix. Though I don't know how much.

    1. Avatar photo
      Colleen (aka Phyre)

      http://notchangingmyname.com/2012/07/17/sugar-free-meringue-cookies/ has a recipe for sugar free using Truvia and cream of tarter.

  48. Avatar photo
    Diana @ Eating Made Easy

    Little sugary beauties! Great addition to hot cocoa. Love em but no food coloring for me 🙂

  49. What is the benefit of letting the sugar dissolve in warm water over using powdered sugar/corn starch and just dumping it a little bit at a time in the beating egg whites? I've seen meringue recipes both ways, and I was wondering why you chose your method. Thanks!!

  50. Hi – double checking on the cooking time…is it 1 hour and 40 minutes and leave in oven for another 30 minutes? Thank you!

  51. Do you think there's any way to use splenda or truvia for this? I'm diabetic, so it's not the calories, it's the sugar that's my nemesis.

    1. Avatar photo
      Colleen (aka Phyre)

      http://notchangingmyname.com/2012/07/17/sugar-free-meringue-cookies/ has a recipe for sugar free using Truvia and cream of tarter.

    2. I want to hear about this too. I'm on the South Beach Diet, and can't have sugar, but these look adorable and delicious.

  52. Did you use the Wilton gel food coloring from the craft store or the kind that comes in a tube from the grocery store? Does peppermint essential oil work? These look awesome!

    1. I think peppermint concentrate is the same as peppermint essential oil. I used a drop or two of peppermint oil in mine and they turned out perfect!

  53. Avatar photo
    Katie @ Blonde Ambition

    These look so perfect! Love the shape and color. Peppermint is my favorite seasonal flavor, I'm drooling at the thought of dropping one in my coffee!

  54. Avatar photo
    Jeanine Rogus

    I'm glad you posted this! I made these last week but used cocoa powder and truvia blend instead of real sugar and they didn't turn out. They were just flat and gross lol Do you know what I could have done wrong? Someone mentioned not beating the egg whites long enough…do you think using truvia instead of real sugar makes a difference?

    1. Doesn't work, with truvia! Sugar not only provides sweetness in this recepie, but also creates a chemical reaction.

    2. The crystals in the sugar are what "attach" to the egg whites along with air, creating the fluffy texture needed for these, so no replacing the wonderful sugar!!

  55. These would be such a perfect christmas treat for parties. I love the red swirl, too. Thank you for sharing, this recipe will definitely be on the to-make list for the holidays. Happy blogging!

    XX Hilary
    http://thehippinista.blogspot.com/

  56. Is the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer heatproof (the metal one, not glass)? I've never used it in a double-boiler type situation, and just wondered if that is what you use. I'd love to give these a try…but did they REALLY turn out that picture perfect on the first try? 🙂

    1. Yes, you can use the stainless steel bowl from your mixer. I use the bowl from my Kenmore mixer to melt chocolate all the time.

    1. Actually – I just bought VersaWhip to use in place of egg whites (my daughter has an egg allergy) I am planning to make a marshmallow creme with it but since it is an egg white replacer, I was also thinking about trying these using the Versawhip. If I do, I'll report our results 🙂

    2. I'll put this link in a separate comment so it an be deleted if the blogger doesn't like the idea of another post being linked but here is the post where I found the most helpful info (and recipe) about the VersaWhip (also vegan)
      http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-homemade-marshie-fluff-vegan.html

      (this is not a link to my own blog and as I said, I haven't actually tried the recipe yet but it looks very promising for those of us who can't eat or choose not to eat egg – Good luck, Diandra!) 🙂

    3. Oh!! (sorry for the triple post) but I just realized there is a link in that post for a meringue! Yay!

  57. Is it possible to work in chocolate somewhere? For instance, could one side be dipped in melted chocolate? Or would this melt the meringue?

  58. Wow, I am definitely making these for Christmas! I had been searching for a good low-fat option. Can't beat 3 cookies for 0 points! And I was just saying yesteray that I have a peppermint obsession lately! You must've read my mind. Thank you!