Lemon Meringue Cookies
These easy Lemon Meringue Cookies are made from egg whites whisked into a stiff meringue and baked until they are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
Lemon Meringue cookies are pretty little puffs of baked meringue that have the fresh, bright flavor of lemon. They practically melt in your mouth! Lemon Meringue Cookies are a wonderful spring and summer recipe whether you are making them for your Easter dessert, Mother’s Day brunch, or just as a light dessert for summer parties.
If you’ve been here awhile you know that I LOVE lemon desserts like my Lemon Berry Napoleon, and this amazing Lemon Pound Cake. I even make my own homemade lemon curd to put between the layers of my coconut cake or to add to these simple lemon curd tartlets. It’s a flavor that makes me think of warm, sunny days, and these pretty Lemon Meringue Cookies just look like spring to me :).
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What are Meringue Cookies?
Sometimes called egg white cookies, they are a mixture of whipped egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar (to help stiffen them), and some kind of flavoring, whether it be vanilla, peppermint, or in the case of my lemon version, lemon extract. The mixture is whipped until it forms stiff peaks and then piped on a baking sheet and baked until they are dry on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside.
Making the Meringue:
- Start with a clean mixing bowl. Place your room temperature egg whites in the bowl and use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs until they are frothy.
- Add the cream of tartar and the salt to the mixture and continue to whisk until it begins to form soft peaks. A soft peak is when you pull the whisk out of the bowl the mixture pulls up into a peak and that peak falls over and doesn’t hold it’s shape.
- Continue to mix the egg whites on medium speed and slowly add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time letting it completely dissolve into the mixture each time. Don’t rush this step! Letting the sugar dissolve into the mixture keeps your cookies from being grainy.
- As you mix the meringue will begin to turn shiny and stiffen. Once all of the sugar is added you’ll want to test to see when the meringue is able to form stiff peaks (that means it’s ready!). I turn off my mixer and use my whisk attachment to dip in the meringue and pull up. That will make peaks in the meringue, and once the peaks stay up, instead of softly falling over and losing shape, you’re good to go.
- Turn off the mixer and add your lemon extract. You can add more but start with a 1/2 teaspoon and work your way up. Gently fold the extract into the meringue.
Tips for the Best Results:
- Always Start with a Clean Bowl – To get your egg whites to whip up into a light fluffy meringue you need to make sure there isn’t a drop of water or oil in your mixing bowl.
- Use Room Temperature Egg Whites – Temperature does make a difference when you’re making meringue. You get a fluffier meringue if you use room temperature egg whites.
- Watch Out for Egg Yolk! – Speaking of the egg whites, the littlest bit of yolk will ruin your meringue! So crack your eggs over one bowl , separate the yolk from the white (you can save those yolks for a Lemon Icebox Pie!!) , and then pour the white into a separate bowl before cracking the next egg. This way if any yolk drips into the egg white as you are separating it you can throw just that egg away instead of contaminating a whole bowl of perfect egg whites.
- Use Superfine Sugar – The finer the sugar the better it dissolves in the meringue. I didn’t want to go buy super fine sugar for this recipe so I just put my regular granulated sugar in a food processor and pureed it for a minute. Works like a charm!
- Add Flavors at the End – If you are going to add an extract to your meringues you do it at the end. Meringues are such a blank slate you can add just about any flavor you want. Vanilla extract is a classic, or you can use Lemon extract like I did for these Lemon Meringue Cookies, you can even try peppermint, or coconut. Just remember less is more. When you’re trying something new start with a small amount of extract and figure out how much you need.
- Add Color – A classic white meringue is nice but I love adding color to mine. You can drizzle just a little color (gel or regular food coloring works fine) down the inside of your piping bag and then add the meringue. When you pipe it out onto your baking sheet it will have streaks of color in it.
What Piping Tip Should I Use?
I use a Wilton Star Tip 6B or an Ateco 829 Star Tip and a disposable pastry bag (16 inch or 18 inch is best because it holds plenty of meringue) to pipe my meringue onto a lined baking sheet.
How Long Can You Store Them?
Make sure to cool your meringues completely. Once cooled you can store them for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
Looking for More Lemon Desserts?
- 7UP Lemon Tart
- Lemon Icebox Pie
- No Bake Lemon Meringue Dip
- Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon curd Tartlets
- Lemon Berry Napoleon
- Lemon Pound Cake
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Lemon Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 Egg Whites, large, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Fine Sugar, if you use granulated run it through the food processor for a minute to make it fine
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
- Place room temperature egg whites in the bowl of your mixer and using the whisk attachment beat until frothy.
- Add the cream of tartar and the salt and continue to whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks (when you pull the whisk out the mixture comes up into a peak that falls over and doesn’t hold it’s shape).
- Continue to mix the egg whites slowly adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time letting it completely dissolve into the mixture each time.
- The meringue will begin to turn shiny and stiffen. Watch the mixture closely and once the sugar has all been added and the meringue forms stiff peaks (when you lift your whisk the meringue forms a peak that stays up and holds it’s shape).
- Turn off the mixer and add your lemon extract. You can add more but start with a 1/2 teaspoon and work your way up. Gently fold the extract into the meringue.
- If you’d like to add color let a drop of food coloring run down the inside of your pastry bag in a few places. Then add your meringue to the pastry bag and pipe it on to a lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 225 degrees F for 45 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in there until it is completely cool 1-2 hours. DO NOT open the oven during baking or cooling!
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
First let me say…these are SOOOO pretty. I love lemon EVERYTHING. These would be perfect for Mother’s Day brunch…..maybe I can get someone to make them for me. If not, I will make them…and NOT share LOL!!
These light little cookies with bright lemon flavors are perfect for Spring! I could see these being a perfect addition to Mother’s Day brunch.
I love meringue cookies, and your tips for making them at home are great! Lemon desserts are so perfect for spring, and these little beauties would be so pretty on a tray for a spring dessert table. Love the sunny hint of yellow on the piped cookies!
These are just so pretty, they’d look amazing on a summer birthday cake!
What fun! I haven’t had the guts to try something like this yet. It looks like something that would be on the Great British Baking Show! THey sound delicious!
Bring me anything with lemon and I love that sweet and tart combination! We are going to have to literally “whip” up a batch of these gems!
Oh my goodness, these look amazing! I’d love to eat about a million of them ???? So yummy!
These look fabulous! What a treat! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
I can picture these lemon meringue cookies on my table for Mother’s Day. I’ll have to see if hubby will make them for me since my dessert-making son Evan is about 800 miles away… So pretty, and I know they taste amazing!
These are the cutest! And I love that you listed out your tips and tricks! This would be a fun recipe to make with my kiddos! Pinning!
So beautiful and delicate! The colors are gorgeous and I love how easy these are to make. Great recipe!
These are SO gorgeous for spring! Love the little pop of color that you’ve given them. Thanks for sharing all these tips for meringue cookie success – I need to use superfine sugar more often in the kitchen!
These dainty cookies are so gorgeous, I love your detailed instructions on how to make them. I have always wanted to make them so this will be my first attempt.
I made these last night and they are perfect!! I had castor sugar so that is the fine sugar that I used. The only change I made was using real lemon juice. I’m not sure exact measurement of juice, but I had squeezed half of a medium sized lemon. The end result was a nice lemony meringue. I will definitely make these again!
Great Leslie! It’s probably a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
Thanks so much for sharing – I was wondering if it would work with lemon juice! 🙂
I actually made these but used icing sugar which was a mistake. I am any case, they look gorgeous but the taste is not the best. I will try to make them with powdered sugar. Thanks for the recipes.
How long can you store the lemon meringue cookies, and should it be room temp or refrigerated?
Very nice cookie. I used 1/2 tsp lemon extract ad 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Followed the guidelines for making meringue. I ate a lot of it before I even made the cookies. I will make these again. I wonder if you can freeze meringue cookies, does any one know?
They freeze beautifully.
Thank you for letting us know. I will make sure to share it with other readers!
Have you ever tried using a sugar substitute? How did it turn out?
I have never tried it but you should check out this recipe https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/shannons-sugar-free-meringues-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
I have used beet sugar in every single batch after my first try. They taste amazing!
I want to use Swerve instead of sugar.. do I use the same amount?
Honestly I have never tried it with sugar substitute so I’m not certain how much you would use or even if it will work the same way.
Going to give this a try tonight. One thing I noticed is that you said to preheat oven to 250 but further I to the recipe you say to bake at 225. Was wondering which one to bake at 😊
Thank you for noticing that! It is 225. I have updated the recipe!
Very tasty I will definitely make them again.
every time i add the sugar it just turns into a weird sticky liquid and i have no idea why! i’ve followed every step and it goes great right until i add the sugar. i put the sugar through a good processor and it was fine and i had soft peaks before i added sugar. i have no idea what i’m doing wrong someone please help😫
do you add the sugar slowly or all at once? If you add it all at once, that could be why.
These turned out great and so yummy!! One thing we noticed is that even after keeping them in the oven to “cool” for 2 hrs, we opened the oven and it was still really warm. We’ll see if the consistency changes…
How far ahead can these be made? Do you think they would hold up for a summer wedding reception?
You can fill them and top with meringue up to two days ahead of time. You can make the lemon curd up to a week ahead of time. I do think you’d want to keep the refrigerated as long as possible but they can sit out for an hour or two.
Worked really well! I added lemon zest and lemon juice, as opposed to extract. I had to triple the amount of lemon juice to extract to get a lemon flavour. Waiting for them now, they’re in the oven!
Had leftover egg whites and didnt want to waste them. i saw this recipe on pinterest and decided to try to make them since i hadnt before. I made the recipe as written except for the extract flavoring and i actually have them in the oven now. The meringue tasted heavenly and was thick and glossy. i piped it out of a storage bag LOL onto parchment paper on to a sheet pan. i love the addition of the salt in the recipe too. i didnt have lemon extract and used only a quarter teaspoon of pure almond extract and that was enough flavoring for me! If the cookies taste as good after baking as the meringue did before i think they will be fabulous!
which type of oven setting do you use
225 degrees F
Hi,
Can I use fresh lemon juice instead of the extract?
Thanks.
I would suggest using lemon zest rather than lemon juice. You can use 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to add a lemon flavor to the meringues.
How fo you keep these from sticking to the parchment paper
Let the meringues cool completely before attempting to separate them from the parchment paper. If they are still sticking, drizzle a little vegetable oil over the parchment paper and rub it in with your fingertips. Cover the whole sheet, as this will prevent the sticking.
I pulled these out of the oven yesterday at 5 PM. It is now 10 AM the next day, and they are GONE. My family ate them all in less than 24 hours. Perfect recipe! Mine look exactly like your picture. I plan to make them for a summer wedding. Thanks for a great recipe!
So happy your family enjoyed them!
Can you use fresh lemon juice instead of extract?
I haven’t tried it with lemon juice and I am not sure how the water content in it will affect the cookies BUT I do think you could add lemon zest and it would add a really nice lemon flavor without altering the results.