Cinnamon Meringue Cookies - Noshing With the Nolands (2024)

These Cinnamon Meringue Cookies have the perfect spice for the holidays but can be for every day too. They are light as air, with the perfect crunch and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness. Dot them around on your holiday cookie platter and watch them disappear.

We love meringue here, whether it is in the shape of ghosts for Halloween, hearts for Valentine’s Day, in the form of cookies like our Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies, on top of Lemon Meringue Pie, or Rhubarb Meringue Dessert.

What are Meringue Cookies? Are They the Same as a Macaron?

Macarons and meringue are different. The biggest difference between a meringue cookie and a macaron is that macarons contain almond flour which makes them more a true cookie than a meringue is. They have a denser texture and are not as crispy as a meringue would be.

Macarons also usually contain more sugar than meringue, and it is usually a confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar. They are also sandwich cookies with a rich filling like buttercream. You can see our Apple Pie Macarons as an example. A lot of times they also include food color too, but you can use food coloring in meringues also.

What is the difference between Pavlova and meringue? Pavlova is another meringue-like dessert using egg whites, but in comparison, meringues are crispy and chewy, and pavlova is crispy with a soft marshmallow-like interior.

What is in Meringue Cookies?

Very few ingredients go into making this Cinnamon Meringue Cookie recipe. Basic meringues are just egg whites and sugar but need to be flavored in some way. Today we use vanilla bean powder, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. These spices can be every day but are so nice around the holidays too. You can also use a stabilizer like cream of tartar; just a pinch will do.

Meringue cookies are gluten-free and actually contain very few calories. Our little cookies are only 18 calories each. This means you can indulge in a few of them over the holidays with no guilt.

How to Make Meringue Cookies

Just a few easy steps go into making these meringues. A piping bag really does come in handy, and you can make them pretty, almost like a flower, or you can make a more traditional swirly looking pattern depending on the type of tip you want to use.

They do take a while for baking time as they are done low and slow and also need additional time to cool in the oven.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 275F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Add the egg whites to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; alternatively, you can use a hand mixer. Make sure the bowl is clean and has no traces of fat or water!

With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add the sugar (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Make sure to give the sugar plenty of time to incorporate before you add the next spoonful– adding the sugar too quickly can result in cracked or dense meringues.

Once all of the sugar has been added, turn the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form– about 2 minutes.

Next, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with your choice of tip (you can use a small star tip to a large star tip or any one you prefer) and pipe 1” meringues onto the baking sheet, making sure to pipe them at least 1” apart. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic bag or two spoons!

Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Then, turn off the oven but leave the meringues in the oven to cool for another hour. Then make sure they cool completely at room temperature.

Transfer the cooled meringues to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to two days.

Recipe Notes

Egg whites are the base of our meringues– they’ll whip up into a smooth, stiff meringue and become crisp in the oven.

Your egg whites don’t need to be at room temperature, but if you have the time to let them sit out, room-temperature egg whites will develop more volume than cold ones.

The sugar sweetens the meringue and helps stabilize the egg whites. If you’ve made meringues before and have had trouble with cracking or weeping, try using caster sugar instead.

Otherwise, granulated sugar works just fine! Vanilla bean powder flavors the meringues with just a hint of vanilla without adding extra liquid to the meringues. If you don’t have vanilla bean powder, substitute ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Cinnamon and nutmeg make these “cinnamon spice” meringues– feel free to substitute any spices you like.

How to Store Meringue Cookies

Do not refrigerate meringues as this will cause them to go soggy and sticky. Have them stored in an airtight container away from moisture at room temperature.

Can you Freeze Meringue Cookies?

I personally have not tried freezing meringues as they don’t last that long in this house. They are one of our daughter’s favorite cookies. I have read that you can store them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature.

My hesitation with this would be if any moisture accumulated in the container it would leave your meringues undesirable.

What are the 3 Types of Meringue?

While we are talking about meringue, what are the three types of meringues? French, Swiss, and Italian meringues are the three different kinds.

The French meringue is used in cookies and souffles, whereas the Swiss meringue is heated and more typically used for frosting.

The last meringue, the Italian meringue, is also a heated meringue but harder to make per se as you have to come to a precise temperature. It is also used for topping desserts.

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