These festive red and green-striped peppermint meringues are super simple to make and a fun treat for the holidays!

peppermint meringues in a bowl

All you need is just 4 ingredients and only a few minutes of active work to make these peppermint meringues— your oven does the rest! They’re light and airy, with a crisp outer layer and a chewy center.

Just look how cute these bite-sized peppermint meringues are! They’re a lot of fun to make too. And they’d be perfect for an edible gift, on a cookie tray, or treat anytime this holiday season.



dozen eggs and whipped meringue

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Egg whites
  • Granulated sugar
  • Peppermint extract
  • Red and green gel food coloring

piping bag painted with red and green food coloring

How to Make Peppermint Meringues

  1. Prepare piping bag. Use a paint brush to lightly brush red and green food coloring in stripes up the sides of a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
  2. Warm egg whites and sugar. Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved.
  3. Whip to stiff peaks. Beat egg white mixture with the wire whisk attachment at high speed until meringue holds a stiff peak, about 4-5 minutes.
  4. Fill piping bag. Use a spatula to scoop meringue into the piping bag.
  5. Pipe onto sheet pan. Pipe out meringue into a bowl until color starts to come through, then pipe starbursts onto a sheet pan lined with parchment.
  6. Bake. Bake at 175°F until meringues are crisp but not at all browned, about 2 hours.
  7. Store. Once cooled, store in an airtight container for about a week.

piped meringues on a sheet pan with piping bag

Tips for this Recipe

  • Your mixer bowl and whisk attachment need to be clean and completely free of any grease or fat or your egg whites will not whip up properly.
  • To properly separate your eggs, making sure no yolk (i.e. fat) contaminates your whites, see my tutorial here.
  • Gel food coloring is required for this recipe, as liquid food coloring won’t stick to the sides of the piping bag.
  • I prefer to use a stand mixer when whipping meringues, but a hand mixer would work too.

Can I Make this Recipe without a Piping Bag & Tip?

Yes! I love the looked of these piped meringues, and if you don’t have a piping bag, follow this tutorial for how to use a plastic ziplock bag instead. But if you prefer, you can skip the bag altogether. Instead, do your best to swirl the food coloring into the whipped whites and use a cookie scoop. What your meringues lack in presentation, they’ll more than make up with flavor.

peppermint meringues on a sheet pan

Shop Tools for this Recipe



This recipe was originally published December 2010.

peppermint meringues in a bowl
5 from 1 review

Peppermint Meringues

Servings: 45 merinuges
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Easy and beautiful peppermint flavored meringues are perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients
 

  • 3 (105 grams) large egg whites
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • red and green gel-paste food coloring

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 175°F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • Put the egg whites and sugar in the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm, about 3 minutes.
  • Return the bowl to the stand mixer and beat on high with a whisk until the meringue reaches stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add the peppermint extract.
  • Use a small paint brush to paint the inside of a pastry bag fit with a medium star tip with 3 stripes each of the red and green food coloring.
  • Fill the pastry bag and pipe into 2 inch sized stars on the prepared sheet pans (Note, the first little bit of meringue to come out of the pastry bag will not have the stripes because it was inside the tip and not the bag. Pipe it out into a bowl until you see the stripes, then begin piping the stars).
  • Bake for about 2 hours until meringues are crisp but not browned. They should peel off the parchment easily. Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Video

Notes

NOTES

  • Your mixer bowl and whisk attachment need to be clean and completely free of any grease or fat or your egg whites will not whip up properly.
  • To properly separate your eggs, making sure no yolk (i.e. fat) contaminates your whites, see my tutorial here.
  • Gel food coloring is required for this recipe, as liquid food coloring won't stick to the sides of the piping bag.
  • I prefer to use a stand mixer when whipping meringues, but a hand mixer would work too.
Adapted from Joy the Baker.
Calories: 14kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 3mg, Potassium: 3mg, Sugar: 3g
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.