High Altitude Vanilla Bean Meringue Cookies (GF)

These classic meringue cookies are sweet and crisp, flavored with real vanilla bean.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Cooling Time 1 30

Total Time 3

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Servings2 dozen

Preheat the oven to 225 F, and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, so that neither rack is too close to the top or bottom heating elements.
Line two 13x18 inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
Wipe down your mixing bowl, whisk attachment, spatula, and any other utensils you'll be using with lemon juice. This gets rid of any traces of grease, which can impede the meringue's ability to reach stiff peaks.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are cold, but then let the whites sit at room temperature for about an hour to warm up. Or, you can place the bowl of egg whites inside another bowl filled with very warm water, which will warm them up sufficiently in just a few minutes. Be sure that no trace of broken egg yolk touches the whites.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar. Whip the mixture for several minutes on medium speed, until foamy.
With the mixer running, slowly sprinkle in the sugar (it should take you about 1 minute to add the sugar) and the salt.
Whip the meringue on medium high speed for several minutes, until the meringue reaches stiff, glossy peaks. When you dip a spoon into the meringue, it should stand up straight on the spoon, but it's totally fine if the thin pointed ends of the meringue swoop over.
If adding other flavorings (such as peppermint or lemon) or gel food coloring, add it now and whip for 1 more minute until well combined.

Fit a 16-inch disposable piping bag with your piping tip (or with a coupler first, if you plan on using multiple piping tips). A large coupler will work with tips like 1M and 2A, but will not work with extra large specialty tips like 8B.
Scoop half the meringue into the prepared piping bag. You don't want to over-fill the bag, or it will be difficult to use, so simply refill with the rest of the meringue as needed. See this post on How to Use Piping Bags, Piping Tips and Couplers.
On your parchment lined baking sheet, pipe the meringue about 1 1/2 - 2 inches wide and high, depending on how large you want your cookies to be. Leave 1 1/2 inches between each piped cookie.
Use tip 8B to pipe the star shaped "kisses". I piped these about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter.
Use tip 1M to pipe the rosettes and the swirls with sprinkles. I piped these about 2 inches in diameter.
Use tip 2A to pipe the smooth "chocolate kisses". I piped these about 1 inch in diameter.
I also used tip 2A to pipe larger mounds of meringue, then swirled these with a spoon to shape individual mini pavlovas. Mine are about 3 inches in diameter, but I'd probably make these bigger next time, about 4-5 inches in diameter.
If adding sprinkles, go ahead and do that now, before baking.

Place the pans in the preheated oven. Bake the meringues for 60 minutes, rotating the pans from one rack to the other halfway through.
After 60 minutes, turn off the oven. Let the meringues rest in the warm oven and continue to dry out, for another 60-90 minutes (or up to 2 hours in more humid climates).
Take the pans out of the oven, and let the meringues cool completely, then gently peel them off the parchment paper. Take care not to break off the delicate points.

Store the cooled meringues in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To keep the meringues crisp, I recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of uncooked rice to the container to absorb any moisture in the air. This will help no matter where you live, but is especially helpful if you live in a humid climate.

Best Tips for Making Meringues:

Avoid making meringues on a humid day, as moisture will make them chewy, rather than crisp.
Always wipe down bowls and utensils with lemon juice or vinegar, to get rid of any traces of fat or grease.
Separate egg yolks from whites while the eggs are cold, but room temperature egg whites will whip easier and quicker to stiff peaks.
Do not omit the cream of tartar, as this stabilizes the proteins in the egg whites so they can reach and retain their stiff peaks.
Thoroughly dry the meringues out in a warm oven, then cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Moisture is the enemy of their crisp texture.

Keyword Cookies, High Altitude, Marshmallow, Meringue, Vanilla Bean