Light and fluffy peppermint meringue cookies made with egg whites, sugar, crushed mints, and optional chocolate chips.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Whenever I make ice cream from scratch, we usually have a lot of leftover egg whites that we have to use up.
In this recipe, we’ve included some crushed peppermint sticks left over from Christmas. Mini chocolate chips can be added too!
What I love about making these meringues is that you just pop them in the hot oven, turn off the heat, and go away for a few hours.
Come back to sweet little meringue cookies, light and airy that practically melt in your mouth.
Looking for more Christmas cookie recipes? You can see them all here!
Peppermint Meringue Cookies
It’s easiest to separate the eggs when they’re cold. Since you want the egg whites to be at room temperature before beating them (this will give them more lift), for best results separate the eggs at least half an hour before starting this recipe and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature outside
Make sure all bowls, hands, and utensils that the eggs may touch are clean and free of oils.
For best results, avoid preparing on a humid or rainy day.
ingredients
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2 to 3 tablespoons mints, thoroughly crushed*
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3 egg whites
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pinch of salt
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1 cup sugar (use superfine if you have it)
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1 teaspoon of white vinegar
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1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
- * Pulverize candies by placing them in sealed double freezer bags. Use a meat mallet (smooth side) or mallet to gently pound them into a fine powder.
method
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Preheat the oven:
Set your oven to 300°F.
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Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt:
Place egg whites in a blender, add a pinch of salt. Start the mixer on low and gradually increase the speed to medium until fairly fluffy and soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Protein sacs should be small and even.
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Continue beating egg whites, slowly add sugar and then vinegar:
Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar, a little (1 to 2 teaspoons) at a time. Continue beating the egg whites and sugar for a few minutes, then add the vinegar.
Increase speed to high and beat egg whites until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift whisk, about 4 to 5 minutes.
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Gently fold in the crushed mints:
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crushed mints and mini chocolate chips, if using.
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Pipe meringues onto a lined baking sheet:
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone. If you’re using parchment paper, you can put a dollop of the meringue mixture in the corners of the pans before placing the parchment paper on top to secure the parchment paper (pastry chef’s trick).
Either use a spoon to drip teaspoons of the meringue mixture onto the cookie sheets (one inch apart) or use a pastry piping bag (can make one using a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off) to make mounds (1 1 /2 inches wide) onto the lined baking sheet.
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Bake 1 minute, turn off the oven:
Place the baking sheets in the oven at 300°F and close the door. Just wait a minute and then turn off the oven. Do not open the door for another 3 hours. You can leave them in the oven overnight. The meringues cook gently in the residual heat of the oven.
When done, the meringues will be slightly crunchy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. If they’re still a bit chewy after 3 hours, just let them dry for a few more hours.
Store in an airtight container.
