Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Swirly, twirly, and striped, these red-and-white peppermint meringue cookies are all dressed up for the holiday party. A festive spin on my recipe for classic vanilla bean meringues, these crisp, light-as-a-cloud confections are flavored with both vanilla and peppermint extracts. They get a candy-cane-inspired look by painting the inside of the pastry bag with thin stripes of red food coloring (I like liqua-gel food coloring, such as Super Red from Chefmaster). When it comes to the food coloring, less is more: Very thin strokes—about the width of a toothpick—will create the desired red-and-white balance.

If you’ve been intimidated by meringues in the past, this recipe is full of handy tips to help you succeed. My number one piece of advice? Have patience. These confections take some time to bake (about 2 hours), plus another hour or so to dry out. You’ll know they’re done when you can lift one off the baking sheet and it feels light; tap the underside and it should sound hollow. Leaving the cookies in the turned-off oven allows them to cool down slowly and gradually and minimize the odds of your meringues cracking. Trust me—they’re worth the wait.

Since these meringues will last for up to 10 days, they’re a fantastic addition to holiday cookie boxes. As the meringues sit, their exterior might turn sticky. If this happens, simply pop them back into a 225° oven for 10–15 minutes to re-crisp. Use the same strategy to revive days-old meringues.

Add a batch of chocolate meringues; or check out our easiest cookie recipes here →