Peppermint Meringues
Add a festive touch to the holiday cookie tray with a batch of these Peppermint Meringues! These light and airy treats are perfect for the holidays!
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Back in high school, my Dad and I built model rockets together. I know that sounds like a cheesy activity straight out of the 1950’s, but it’s true. And I loved it! We started in middle school with the easy “snap-together” rockets, but we quickly progressed into the harder versions that required much more detailed effort. Even though we spent hours building each rocket, we still enjoyed heading out to a local soccer field to launch them. It was a great Dad + son bonding activity, and I had actually forgotten about it until I made these Peppermint Meringues.
What do Peppermint Meringues have to do with building model rockets? Well, to get the festive red stripes on these meringues, you need to paint the inside of a piping bag with red food gel. I don’t know about you, but we don’t have many tiny paintbrushes lying around the house. I actually got to that step yesterday and said, “Uh oh.” Then I remembered seeing a package of tiny paintbrushes (aff. link) stashed in the back of my tool chest. They were leftover from the days of painting model rockets and trains. Sure enough, those brushes were still there…and they were perfect for painting food gel. Who would’ve thought?
Peppermint Meringues
Peppermint MeringuesAs we launch into holiday cookie season, I’m throwing these Peppermint Meringues out there as a fun way to mix things up. If you make cookie trays for teachers/neighbors, then it would be quite festive to add a couple of meringues in there. Or if you’re having friends over for cocktails, you could set out a bowl of these meringues for snacking. Bonus – one batch makes a lot of meringues!
If you’ve never made meringues before, then give this recipe a shot. I know they might seem fussy and temperamental, but these Peppermint Meringues couldn’t be easier to make. You do need an electric kitchen mixer, though. If you tried to whip egg whites to stiff peaks by hand, then your hand would probably fall off. (Come to think of it, my Mom had me do that one time just so I could see the process. I think it took me about 40 minutes of whipping.)
Baker’s Note: Make sure to whip the egg whites until they reach the stiff peak stage. The Kitchn has a good guide for beating egg whites, and I’ve also included a photo here from my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. Those egg whites should stand up on their own. If they flop over, keep beating. It’ll take a good 8-10 minutes with a countertop mixer to get to stiff peak stage.
A tiny splash of peppermint extract adds all of the minty flavor you’ll need for this recipe. Laura doesn’t particularly enjoy mint-flavored desserts, so she was rather cross with me when I gave her one of these to eat. But then Robbie came along and ate his. Then he asked for another. Then he told his Mom, “Well, I like these meringues, so you should, too.” Hah!
If you’re looking for a fun baking idea to add to the holiday lineup, then I highly recommend these Peppermint Meringues. They are light and airy with just the right amount of mint flavor. And the red stripes add a festive look! Happy baking, and happy holidays!
Did you make a batch of these Peppermint Meringues at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- red food gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set pans aside.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy.
- Add cream of tartar and ¼ cup of the sugar; beat until well combined. Add the remaining sugar in 2 more ¼ cup additions, beating after each addition.
- Beat egg whites on high until stiff, glossy peaks form (~8-10 minutes).
- Add peppermint extract and beat until well combined.
- Fit a pastry bag with a large open star tip. (Note: I used an Ateco #827 tip)
- Using a small paintbrush, paint the food coloring gel on the inside of the bag from the tip to the top of the bag. Repeat process with 3 more evenly spaced stripes.
- Fill the pastry bag with meringue. (Note: Use a spoon to drop meringue into center of the bag so as not to smudge the lines of food coloring. If you need to refill the pastry bag, add more food coloring before adding more meringue.)
- Pipe 1” diameter meringues onto prepared pans, leaving at least 1” between each meringue.
- Bake for 1½ hours, or until meringues are crispy but not brown.
- Turn off oven and crack door slightly. Leave meringues in oven for 1 more hour, or until completely cooled.
Looking for other fun holiday baking recipes? Check out these other ideas, too:
What a fun treat perfect for the holidays! Glad you found the little paintbrushes, because that red stripe just really makes these look festive!
Yes! I was shocked that I still had those little paintbrushes…but they were perfect for this project. And now I know where they are for next time! 🙂
Meringues are a wonderful and underestimated dessert indeed (I guess they are just not fancy like macarons and similar things anymore). Just a couple of available ingredients where only the sugar being an unhealthy part (But still, no flour, no butter.) Also, they could easily be fancy, and you’ve just proved it! Perfect colour and piping work. Trust me, I would have created only a mess, not some stunning stripes 🙂
I totally agree with you, Ben. Meringues are an underestimated dessert. Indeed, I don’t think about them very often. However, the peppermint version was really tasty – I think I’ll be making these again sometime!
And the best part about them is that if didn’t turn right (cracked, flat, etc), you can always turn them into an Eton Mess and pretend they were always supposed to be like that! By the way, you should consider making a Christmas Eton Mess (Candy cane, gingerbread etc.) Don’t thank you for this awesome idea 🙂
The red stripes makes these so festive, David! And so delicious – I would not be able to stay out of them!
Oh, we kept walking by and picking up one of these meringues from the container! Peppermint desserts tend to have that effect around here. One is enough…until 10 minutes later when you crave another one. 🙂
These are so festive and fun. Clever how you made the pretty red stripes. These would not be safe around me and my sweet tooth. We love meringues over here since my oldest son is gluten-free. Perfect. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ah! I didn’t think about how meringues are perfect for gluten-free diets. Great idea! I can say that these were well received (i.e. devoured) around here! 🙂
these are just so pretty david. i love the red stripes, but i don’t think i have the patience to paint a piping bag:) I am team peppermint so i’d love these.
You know, painting the piping bag wasn’t all that hard once I found the tiny paintbrushes. I’m sure there are other ways to paint the piping bag (Q-tip?) but in general it wasn’t too hard at all. You should make a batch!
I’ve been so tempted lately to buy a model of something to paint. How fun! I can see why these meringues would be so intriguing too. Plus, you get to eat ’em 😉 Love the swirl action. Great for a homemade food gift. Pinned 🙂 Hope your week is going great, my friend.
Haha – I think the pandemic is a good reason to buy a model to paint. Puzzles seemed to be the hit last winter during the lockdown…maybe painting models will be the new thing this winter! 🙂 And, of course, if you’re painting models, then you might as well make a batch of meringues, too! Thanks, Dawn!
You know me, David, I gotta try it!😉 But first, questions! Did you have the piping bag inside out when you painted it or did you just reach down in? And is it a catastrophe if, while aiming for the middle of the bag while filling, it touches the red? I’m afraid of pink meringues in my future!😂
Excellent questions, Marla! So, no, I did not have the bag inside-out. While that would make it easier to paint, I think flipping the bag back outside-in would be a disaster. Second, when using those paintbrushes, I actually found it pretty easy to keep reaching down into the bag. I think a Q-tip might be able to work here, too – although I haven’t tried that. Finally, I did put the bag into a pint glass and folded over the top edges once I had painted the stripes. (I always fill my piping bags in a pint glass.) This helps get the bag upright and you can drop spoonfuls of the filling into the bag.
As long as you don’t mix the filling in the bag, then it won’t end up pink. I know it seems like a lot could go wrong, but I found this project to be much easier than expected! Give it a shot and let me know!
I love how pretty and festive these meringues look! That peppermint flavor and striping! YUM! Melt in your mouth deliciousness! Pinned!
Thank you so much, Kim! I really enjoyed these meringues – and they were surprisingly easy to make, too. (Plus, you get a huge batch!) 🙂
Fun memories of your dad! These peppermint meringues are perfect for the holidays. So festive and beautiful!!
Yes! Fun memories indeed, Dawn. I’ve been thinking I want to get back into model rockets or model trains…but I don’t really have anywhere to keep them right now. Maybe when Robbie gets a little older we’ll get into that hobby together. We’ll see! Either way, thanks so much, and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday!
These peppermint meringues are so cute and festive! And what fun memories with your Dad!
Thanks so much, Michelle! I had fun making these meringues for sure. And, yes, those are good memories with the model rockets and model trains. I’ve actually been thinking about getting back into those…we’ll see!
I always wondered how they made those peppermint meringues. A brilliant job David.
Model rockets hun? I always thought it would be fun to build a rocket and shoot it off. My son and I did RC car racing, which was also very cool. As a matter of fact, I likely enjoyed it more than he did.
Yeah, I think my Dad enjoyed building the model rockets as much as (if not more than) me. I have fond memories of it, though, and I’ve stopped and looked at them in the store (or on Amazon). I think Robbie needs a couple more years before we tackle anything like that, though. These meringues? Easy enough to tackle now! 🙂
Its been ages since I’ve made a meringue. That’s ingenious using those little paintbrushes to get the red stripe from the piping bag. These are perfect for the Christmas holidays!
I was at wit’s end trying to figure out how to paint red stripes on the piping bag! In hindsight, a Q-tip probably would’ve worked just as well…but those brushes were perfect. These are indeed a fun treat (and low calorie!) for the holidays. Thanks, Neil!
After making my holiday flans this is a good use for all those unused egg white, good stuff
That’s a good point, Raymund! In the summertime, I often use leftover egg yolks to make ice cream. Now I’ve got a way to use them in the winter months!
There meringues are so cute! I’ve been obsessed with all things peppermint lately.
‘Tis the season, right? I normally don’t gravitate to peppermint desserts, but I do during the holidays – it must be a Christmas thing for me! 🙂
Have you ever tried making these with the boxes egg whites? Does it turn out as well? Also how do you store these and how long would they keep? Is this a good option hot a cookie exchange?
Hey Maral! I haven’t tried making these with boxed egg whites, but my gut feeling is they should still work just fine as long as you rehydrate the egg whites first according to the instructions on the box. As far as storing these, they should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. I’ve seen several notes that meringues also store well in a freezer bag in the freezer, but I haven’t tried that myself. Room temperature (as long as it isn’t too humid) works great! And, yes, I do think these would be a really fun (and unique!) addition to a holiday cookie exchange. They’re very easy to make, and the peppermint swirl makes them attractive!