Lemon meringues are light and airy with a slightly crispy outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft inside. They’re made from whipped egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and lemon extract and are a delightful summer treat!
Craving more lemon desserts? Be sure to try this lemon pound cake, these easy lemon cake balls, these buttery shortbread cookies or this lemon poke cake too!
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Best Lemon Meringues Cookies
Lemon is a flavor I can’t get enough of. It’s versatility makes it so that it brightens up both sweet and savory recipes!
Currently, however, I’m all about an airy meringue for a light dessert!
If you’ve never had a lemon meringue cookie, you’re in for a special treat. If you’ve had one and never thought you could make it yourself, well, then you, my friends, are in for a surprise because they are so easy to make!
The whipped lemon-flavored egg whites are piped onto a prepared cookie sheet and baked until lightly crunchy on the outside and melt in your mouth soft and chewy on the inside. The burst of lemon flavor is enough to make your mouth water!
They’re elegant and dainty and the addition of yellow coloring is all about citrus and sunshine! You’ll love making this sweet treat for baby showers, wedding showers, and all your spring and summer parties!
Ingredients/shopping list
- Egg whites: Whipped egg whites is the foundation that meringue is build on! Bring the eggs to room temperature. Sometimes it’s easier to separate them while they are still cold, and then bring the whites to room temperature and save the yolks for breakfast in the morning.
- Cream of tartar: This is what helps to stabilize the egg whites, giving them that rise and fullness in its pillow-like shape.
- Granulated sugar: Needed for sweetness. Lemon meringues are cookies after all!
- Fresh lemon zest: Use a microplane grater or box grater to zest it straight from fresh, bright yellow lemons.
- Lemon extract: A concentrated flavor that will add a vibrant tartness.
- Yellow gel food coloring: This is for presentation. It’s completely optional but I like to add a bit of yellow food coloring to give the lemon meringues a bright yellow color to match the bright flavor.
Variations/ Substitutions
1. You can use superfine sugar in place of granulated sugar if you prefer. You may not notice the difference in taste, but superfine sugar will dissolve easier.
2. Skip the yellow food coloring if you prefer.
3. Use this meringue recipe for all kinds of flavor variations. Use almond extract, vanilla extract, or orange extract. I love making them with peppermint extract during the holidays.
How to Make these Lemon Meringue Cookies
Making a meringue is very easy to do but it’s just as easy to make errors along the way. Follow my recipe step-by-step for perfect results every time!
Step 1: Place egg whites in a large bowl and beat using an electric mixer or bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Use medium speed for 30 seconds, then add the cream of tartar and continue blending.
Step 2: Gradually add in the sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Then, add the lemon zest and extract and blend on low speed for 15 minutes until just combined.
Step 3: To add bright yellow streaks to your lemon meringues, use a small spatula or food brush to paint 4 vertical lines of the yellow gel food coloring on the inside of your disposable piping bag.
Step 4: As you fill the bag with the meringue mixture, be careful not to smudge the yellow lines as best as you can. Use the star tip if you want pretty floral ridges.
Step 5: Pipe 1” meringues onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, keeping them at least 1” apart. Bake the cookies for 50-55 minutes in the preheated oven until dry and crisp.
Step 6: Turn off the oven, leave the oven door open slightly, and keep the cookies in there until they cool completely to room temperature.
As tempting as it is to remove your lemon meringues early, don’t!
Tips
- Remember to use room temperature egg whites. I remove them from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using. Cold egg whites won’t hold as much as much air and won’t produce the same volume.
- Never let any egg yolks into the whites. The fat will disrupt the process and they won’t whip properly.
- Do not skip the cream of tartar! This is what helps stabilize the whipped egg whites as well as prevents cracking and weeping liquid from the whites.
- Leave the cookies in the oven to cool to avoid a sudden change in temperature. This is so that the meringues don’t crack.
FAQ’s
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Lemon meringues will stay fresh at room temperature and don’t need to be kept in the fridge.
I don’t recommend it in this recipe. Some recipes say you can as the acid acts just like the cream of tartar to help stabilize it. However, since we’re already using the cream of tartar, adding too much of the extra liquid will have the opposite effect.
When you can lift the beaters out of the whipped whites and they don’t move, they’re ready. Just be careful not to over-whip them!
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Lemon Meringues
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- Yellow gel food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and beat with an electric mixing on medium-low speed for about 30 seconds.2 large egg whites
- (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).
- Add in the cream of tartar and continue blending on medium-low speed.¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Gradually add in the white sugar one tablespoon at a time.½ cup white sugar
- Once all of the sugar has been added and mixed in, increase the speed to medium speed and beat for about 3 minutes or until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
- Once the meringue is holding stiff peaks, add the lemon zest and lemon extract and blend on low speed for about 15 seconds just until combined.1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- (Optional) For making yellow stripes on the meringues, use a small spatula or food brush and “paint” four vertical lines of gel food coloring on the inside of a disposable piping bag.Yellow gel food coloring
- Carefully fill the bag with meringue, trying not to smudge the food coloring lines as much as possible.
- Use a round or star tip, pipe 1” meringues onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are at least 1” apart.
- Bake the meringues for 50-55 minutes or until they are dry and crisp.
- Then open the oven door, turn off the oven, and allow the meringues to cool to room temperature in the oven. (do not skip this step!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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