With a bright, tart lemon flavor and all the delicate fluffiness of a cloud, these Lemon Meringue Cookies are crisp, light, airy, and not overly sweet. They’re easy to make and look great on a cookie tray for entertaining. They’re also low calorie so a couple with a cup of tea or coffee is a nice way to start or finish the day.
Lemon Meringue Cookies
Meringues are very simple bite-sized cookies made from whipped egg whites and sugar. They bake slowly and at a very low temperature until the exterior is crisp and the inside is a bit chewy, similar to Pavlova. With just the right amount of sweetness and light as a cloud, they melt in your mouth.
These lemon meringue cookies take on the bright citrusy flavor of lemon, but meringue cookies are easily customizable with chocolate or other extracts. We love them for entertaining or with a cup of tea or coffee.
Ingredients Needed
These meringue cookies call for just a few simple ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and exact measurements.)
- Large egg whites – The egg whites need to be fresh, room temperature, and completely free of any fat or yolk.
- Fresh lemon juice – This not only adds lemon flavor, it adds stability to egg whites when they’re being whipped and helps ensure they’ll reach stiff peaks and not deflate, which is critical with meringues. I usually use cream of tartar to achieve this, but lemon juice works great for this recipe.
- Lemon jello (just the powder) – You’ll need 2 tablespoons of the gelatin powder. You can also omit this completely and use 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract if necessary.
- Powdered sugar – This is preferred over granulated sugar for a super smooth and non-grainy mouth feel. See note below if using granulated sugar.
- Salt (optional) – Just a pinch adds flavor and also balances out the sweet and tart.
- Yellow food coloring gel – For the color effect on these cookies you need a gel food color (avoid liquid food coloring which won’t work.) You can omit this for white cookies or fold in yellow coloring into the egg mixture for yellow cookies.
Using Granulated Sugar
You can use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar, but it needs to be super fine, which dissolves faster and better than regular granulated sugar. Also note that you will only need two-thirds of a cup, not 1 cup. You should also add it in very slowly and in very small amounts at a time, to help avoid grittiness. (If you can’t find super fine sugar, you can simply make it by putting regular granulated sugar in a food processor and giving it a few whizzes until finely processed.)
How to Make Meringue Cookies
These lemon meringue cookies are simple to make. Here’s a summary.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and exact measurements.)
- Beat egg whites and lemon juice. Using an electric mixer, beat together the egg whites and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form.
- Add in lemon powder and powdered sugar. Gradually add in the lemon gelatin powder and powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until all the sugar has been added.
- Achieve stiff peaks. Beat for an additional 5-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. The mixture will increase in volume, become thick, sticky, and glossy, like marshmallow cream. If you flip a beater so it’s upright, the batter will be able to stand tall and not fold back into itself.
- Prep are piping bag. Prepare a large piping bag with a star tip (Ateco 846 is what I use) and then draw several lines with the yellow food coloring gel around the bag. Be careful not to smear the lines or your cookies will be all yellow instead of striped with yellow. Gently scoop the lemon meringue mixture into the prepared bag, careful not to mix the yellow lines of color.
- Pipe cookies onto baking sheet. Pipe cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, at least 1/2-inch apart, until the pan is filled or the mixture is all used.
- Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to an oven rack that’s set in the center position and bake at 225F for 1 hour.
- Let rest in the oven. Turn off the heat, but do not open the oven door. Allow cookies to cool completely in the oven for 1-2 hours before removing. They should be completely dry and easily lift off the parchment.
Helpful Tips
Meringues can seem intimidating, but they’re not difficult to make. Make sure to follow these tips and tricks to ensure you have success.
- Use fresh room temperature eggs. The fresher the eggs, the better the results and make sure the egg whites are at room temperature, which whip up better then when they’re cold.
- Crack eggs into a different bowl than the mixing bowl. Separate each egg white into a small bowl before adding them to the mixer. This way, if a yolk breaks, you won’t have to toss the entire batch. Even the tiniest bit of yolk will prevent the egg whites from properly whipping to stiff peaks.
- Equipment should be completely dry and grease-free. The bowl and beaters used to make the meringue should be completely free of any grease or moisture. Either of these can prevent stiff peaks from being formed.
- Add the sugar slowly and gradually. Only add a couple tablespoons of sugar at a time. If too much sugar is added all at once it can knock the air out of the egg whites instead of strengthening the meringue. A fully formed meringue should stay in the bowl even if it’s held upside down.
- Pipe the meringue right when it’s done. If meringue sits around for a while, it will lose consistency.
- Cook low and slow. It might be tempting to cook the meringues at a higher temperature for less time, but they will brown and lose their beautiful white and yellow color. Overcooking can also result in a slightly burnt flavor and will crumble easily.
- Don’t open the door too soon. After baking, these need to cool in the oven for another 1-2 hours (with the heat off.) Resist the urge to open the door.
Troubleshooting
Humidity is the archenemy of meringue cookies, so avoid making these on a wet or humid day.
The cookies should be light, crisp, completely dry, without any color around the edges, and be easily lifted off the parchment paper. (Baking them at a very low temperature for a long time is what dries then out and prevents browning.)
The most common reasons meringues crack is due to the batter being over-whipped, the oven temperature being too high, or the cookies being cooked for too long. Luckily, this is just cosmetic and doesn’t effect how yummy they are.
Chewy meringues can be caused by a few culprits: Under-baking, not letting them dry in the oven long enough, or absorbing moisture in the air (like on a humid day or leaving them out without being in an airtight container.) You can try and crisp them up by placing them back in the oven at 225 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes, then let them cool in the oven for another hour (with the heat turned off.) That should do the trick.
Proper Storage
These Lemon Meringue Cookies are best enjoyed within a few days after baking them, but leftovers will keep up to 2 weeks if stored properly. Keep them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, or other foods that contain moisture as it can soften them. If you live someplace humid, their shelf life will be shortened. They should not be refrigerated or frozen as that will cause them to dissolve or get soft. If they do start to get soft or sticky you can place them back in the oven at low heat to dry them out again.
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate No Bake Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Lemon Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- pinch of salt (optional)
- 2 tablespoons lemon jello (just the powder)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- yellow food coloring gel (not liquid)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F with the oven rack in the center position. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or two regular-sized cookie sheets, as long as they can both fit in your oven side by side.)
- Combine egg whites, lemon juice, and salt in a large, completely clean, dry, grease-free bowl.
- Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment), beat on low speed until mixture becomes foamy. Then increase speed to high.
- With mixer on high, slowly and gradually add lemon gelatin powder and powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).
- Beat until mixture is thick, glossy, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved (test by rubbing a small bit of the mixture between your fingers – it shouldn't feel gritty.)
- Prepare a large piping bag fitted with a star tip (Ateco 846 is what I use) and then draw several lines with the yellow food coloring gel around the bag. Be careful not to smear the lines or your cookies will be all yellow instead of striped with yellow.
- Gently scoop the lemon meringue mixture into the prepared bag, careful not to mix the yellow lines of color.
- Pipe 1×1-inch swirls onto the prepared cookie sheet a 1/2-inch apart.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Turn off the heat, and do not open the oven door. Allow cookies to cool completely in the oven for 1-2 hours before removing. (The cookies should be light, crisp, completely dry, without any color around the edges, and be easily lifted off the parchment paper.)
- Enjoy or store for later.
