Love is in the air anytime these dainty and delicate Meringue Hearts are served!
Melt-in-your-mouth delicious and perfect served with a steaming hot Peppermint Mocha Latte or a glass of Juicy Pineapple Drink, these heart shaped meringue cookies will delight both young and old. Using simple ingredients, these cookies are easy to make and perfect for all occasions.
Meringue Hearts
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What is Meringue?
Meringue is sweetened whipped egg whites that are low and slow-baked until they are light and crispy. Soft meringue is found on pies (like lemon and coconut) and hard meringue is made into cookies or shells. Shells are used to hold other sweetened desserts like chocolate mousse or a fruit compote.
Heart-Shaped Meringue Cookies
- This easy recipe makes meringue cookies that can be shaped and decorated for any celebration any time of year!
- Decorate a batch or two with colorful sprinkles and take to a Valentine cookie exchange and have the best dessert on the table!
- Three ingredients and a little know-how are all it takes to make these crispy cute cookies that everyone loves!
- Even kids can practice making alphabet cookies!
What’s in Meringue Cookies?
INGREDIENTS – Egg whites, sugar, and a touch of vanilla bean powder are all it takes to make these delightful little bites. For marbled cookies, stir in a little food coloring gel.
FLAVOR – Coconut, banana, rum, orange, lemon, or lime extract would all taste great!
VARIATIONS – Before baking, top with toasted coconut, finely chopped nuts, colored sprinkles, nonpareils, or orange or lime zest. Meringue cookies can also be dipped in chocolate once they are cooled and allow the chocolate to set before storing.
How to Make Meringue Hearts
- Prepare baking sheet. Whip egg whites and add sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the meringue into a piping bag and pipe 1” heart shapes onto prepared baking sheet.
- Decorate, if desired. Bake until the cookies are dried and then allow them to cool completely.
Recipe and Time-Saving Tips
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Freeze leftover yolks in ice cube trays to use in future recipes.
- Allow egg whites to come to room temperature before beginning. The sugar will dissolve faster and whipping time is decreased.
- Use superfine sugar to save time during the whipping process.
- No piping bag? No problem! Use a plastic bag with a corner cut off. Then simply throw away the bag!
- Vanilla bean powder is preferred over vanilla extract to avoid destabilizing the meringue. The same goes for using optional food coloring gel over liquid food coloring.
How to Store Meringue Hearts
Keep cooled cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Leftover or broken cookies? Crumble them up and top a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Other Easy Desserts To Try!
- Berry Topped Pavlova Dessert – another meringue dessert.
- Trail Mix Cookies – easy and delicious.
- Mini Cheesecake Bites – perfect hand held dessert.
- Strawberry Shortcake Bars – delightful!
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon Cookies – simple, yet so tasty!
Meringue Hearts
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 5 drops food coloring or as much as needed (optional)
- Sprinkles to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.
- Beat egg whites on medium-high speed, adding sugar gradually over 3-5 minutes, until soft peaks form.
- Add vanilla powder and gel food coloring, if using. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Transfer mixture to a piping bag. Pipe 1-inch heart shapes about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake for one hour. Turn oven off and leave oven door open to allow meringues to come to room temperature slowly (about 2 hours).
- Once fully cooled, transfer meringues to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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