Mint Meringue Cookies
April 16, 2020 • Desserts,
I mastered meringue cookies this past holiday season when I made Bourbon Eggnog. My eggnog recipe called for only the yolks, leaving me with a boatload of whites. And while I could have just eaten egg whites for breakfast day after day, I thought this was more appealing. 
The secret to meringues is patience – something I’m continually working on in life. They need to cook slowly at low heat, but more importantly, sit in the oven for hours after you turn it off to completely dry out. You can flavor the meringue with any extract you choose – the peppermint is tastier to me than plain vanilla – and you can top with sprinkles of any sort or just leave plain. And here’s a tip: eat the entire cookie at once as it crumbles all over if you try to bite into it. Just pop it in your mouth where it instantly melts!
- 6 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Sprinkles, optional
- Prepare 2-3 baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
- Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a mixer with the whip attachment and beat on medium low until the egg whites are frothy. Turn the mixer to medium high and begin adding the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting about 10 seconds between each addition. When all of the sugar is added, add the extract and beat on high until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
- Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a large flute tip and pipe cookies onto the baking sheets. You can pipe the cookies fairly close together as they expand very little during baking. If using, top cookies with sprinkles, then bake for 1 hour. Leave oven door shut and the light on and allow the cookies to continue to cook and cool in the oven for at least 2 more hours, or even overnight.