Meringue Nest Cookies are the perfect crunchy sweet cookie to welcome Spring and celebrate Easter.

These simple meringue cookies are shaped like a bird’s nest and filled with lemon curd, toasted coconut and mini milk chocolate Easter Eggs or jelly beans for a fun nod to spring. We love meringue cookies. They are simple to make…the hardest part is waiting for the long bake time. To get them perfectly dry, crunchy and airy they need more time in a low temp oven.

Ingredients for Meringue Nest Cookies with Lemon Curd:

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Fill the Meringue Cookie Nests with:

Lemon Curd: See this easy recipe for the Lemon Curd…you can also buy lemon curd pre-made at the store if you prefer…I love the lemon curd at Trader Joes.
Jelly Beans
mini chocolate eggs
toasted coconut

Meringue Cookie Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200F. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into a separate bowl one at a time. This helps prevent any unwanted yolks or egg shells accidentally making it into the bowl of the stand mixer.
Transfer the egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the cream or tartar and salt to the bowl then begin mixing on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
Once the egg whites have frothed up begin SLOWLY adding in the sugar. This step makes a big difference in your final meringues so remember to take your time and add the sugar in gradually. You can add the sugar in a teaspoon at a time or just sprinkle it in slowly.
After the sugar has been added…add in the vanilla.
Your meringue is ready once it has a thick marshmallow like texture and it can hold a nice peak. Do not let the prepared meringue sit for too long before piping…it can lose it’s consistency and not pipe as well if it sits for too long.
If you plan to add color to your meringue cookies: add tiny amount of coloring in with a toothpick or wooden skewer into the meringue then whip it in with the the whisk attachment to distribute the color.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star attachment or with just the tip snipped off.
Pipe the meringue cookies out allowing at least an inch of space between each for airflow. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift to finish the meringue.
Place the baking sheet onto the center rack in your oven to bake at 200F for one hour then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. The meringue cookies are done when they are dried throughout. When they are ready they will not stick to the parchment paper…they will feel light and dry.

Recipe Notes:

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into a small bowl before adding to the mixer, this prevents any chance of yolks accidentally ending up into the egg whites…which can ruin the whole batch.
Add the sugar in slowly while the mixer whips the egg whites. You can add in a teaspoon at a time or just really slowly. It makes a big difference in the quality of your meringue.
Pipe the meringue cookies as soon as it’s finished whipping. Meringue can lose it’s consistency if it sits out too long before baking.
Place in center rack for best baking.
Leave the cookies in the oven for at least an hour without opening the oven, the cookies need a warm dry place to dry out after baking.
Meringue cookies can be made with an electric hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, it can take a little longer.

Meringue Cookies

Adorable and delicious meringue cookies made into the shape of a bird's nest.

Author Kami | NoBiggie.net

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla clear vanilla if you have it
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200F. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into a separate bowl one at a time. This helps prevent any unwanted yolks or egg shells accidentally making it into the bowl of the stand mixer.
Transfer the egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the cream or tartar and salt to the bowl then begin mixing on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
Once the egg whites have frothed up, slowly add in the sugar. This step makes a big difference in your final meringue cookies, so take your time and add the sugar in gradually. You can add the sugar in a teaspoon at a time or just sprinkle it in slowly.
After the sugar has been added…add in the vanilla.
The meringue is ready once it has a thick marshmallow like texture and it can hold a nice peak. Do not let the prepared meringue sit for too long before piping…it can lose it’s consistency and not pipe as well if it sits for too long.
If you plan to add color to your meringue cookies: add a tiny amount of coloring in with a toothpick or a wooden skewer into the meringue then whip it in with the the whisk attachment to distribute the color.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star attachment or with just the tip snipped off.
Pipe the meringue cookies out allowing at least an inch of space between each cookie for better airflow around each cookie. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift to finish the meringue. Pipe out the meringue into a nest shape to be filled after baking.
Place the baking sheet onto the center rack in your oven to bake at 200F for one hour then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. The meringue cookies are done when they are dried throughout. When they are ready they will not stick to the parchment paper…they will feel light and dry.

Recipe Notes

* Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into a small bowl before adding to the mixer, this prevents any chance of yolks accidentally ending up into the egg whites…which can ruin the whole batch.
* Add the sugar in slowly while the mixer whips the egg whites. You can add in a teaspoon at a time or just really slowly. It makes a big difference in the quality of your meringue.
* Pipe the meringue cookies as soon as it's finished whipping. Meringue can lose it’s consistency if it sits out too long before baking.
* Place in the center rack for best baking.
* Leave the cookies in the oven for at least an hour without opening the oven, the cookies need a warm dry place to dry out after baking.
* Meringue cookies can be made with an electric hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, it can take a little longer.

Making This Recipe? Tag us on Instagram: @NoBiggie using the hashtag #NoBiggieRecipes, so we can see what you are making in the kitchen!

Trouble Shooting Meringue Cookies:

Even though the ingredient list is so simple for meringue cookies, they can often times not turn out how you’d expect…they can be a little tricky. Here are frequently asked questions for meringue cookies:

Why did my meringue cookies crack?

Meringue Cookies crack when they cool too quickly. It helps to leave them in the oven after baking with the oven turned off to slow the cooling process and help keep them from cracking. Meringue cookies can collapse sometimes too. To prevent your cookies from collapsing use the freshest egg whites which will help the egg whites hold the air bubbles when you whip them.

If your meringue cookies turn brown in color:

If your cookies turn brown it is because your oven temperature is too hot. To keep your meringue cookies bright white you want a low oven temperature and more time in the oven to help the cookies dry out. The idea of the meringue cookies is to dry them out not to cook them.

Why cream of tartar in meringue cookies?

Just a pinch of cream of tartar can make meringue stronger so it’s less likely to deflate.

If your meringue cookies are sticky:

Humidity can cause meringues to soften after they are baked making them sticky. Meringue and humidity don’t do well together. If you live in a humid location try adding 1 teaspoon cornstarch to the sugar. Corn starch needs to be baked on it’s own at 350F for 20 minutes to make it okay to consume.

Make meringue cookies more crunchy and not chewy:

to make meringue cookies crunchy and not chewy they need more time to dry out in the oven. After the bake time, keep the cookies in the oven with the oven turned off. It might help to make the cookies late at night…turn the oven off leave them in the oven and let them dry out in the oven overnight.

How long do meringue cookies last?

Meringue cookies can keep for 2 weeks if stored in an air tight container and stored in a dry and cool place.

Can homemade meringue cookies be frozen?

Yes you can freeze meringue cookies up to 2-3 months.

Meringue Nest Cookies

Ingredients for Meringue Nest Cookies with Lemon Curd:

Fill the Meringue Cookie Nests with:

Meringue Cookie Instructions:

Recipe Notes: