Christmas Tree Meringues are fun and easy to make. With a light, crunchy texture and topped with sprinkles, they are a festive addition to a holiday cookie plate. (Naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.)
Christmas excitement is high over here! Molly and Clara wake up every morning asking if it's Christmas. Frank went in to their room at 7am on Saturday and they were peering out the window. They told him they were looking for Santa.
So we're bringing that excitement to the pages of the blog this week with Christmas cookies. A whole week of Christmas cookies!! All of which are easy crowd-pleasers that even the littlest of helpers (think eager 3-year-olds) can help with.
Let's get this internet Christmas party started, shall we?
How to Make Christmas Tree Meringues
Meringues are one of the first cookies I remember making entirely on my own. Because they require only three ingredients and bake low and slow, these are great for newbie bakers. Or for distracted bakers who are trying to do 14 other things.
Meringues are simply egg whites and sugar beaten into stiff peaks like so...
And then piped onto a baking sheet (in any shape you'd like) and baked at a low temperature for a couple hours until crisp. The oven is kept at 200 degrees F for these, so they're hardly even baked - more like dried. It pulls out all the moisture and results in little "cookies" that are super crunchy and lightly sweet.
But for Christmas, we dye them green.
And pipe them into tree shapes.
Note: No advanced piping skills are needed for these. Once you start, you'll easily get in a groove and find a Christmas tree shape that works. And don't worry if you don't have a piping bag / tip. It works just as well to use a zip-top plastic bag with one corner snipped off.
Just top with sprinkles and transfer to the oven.
Cool and store / hide them from your kids who will request them at every hour of the day.
More Christmas Baking Ideas
- Crisp Gingerbread Cookies
- Baking Christmas Cookies with Kids
- Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn
- Chocolate-Mint Ribbon Cookies
- Candy Cane Meringues
- Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
- Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Favorite Tools
- Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Half Sheet Pans
- Piping Bag with tip or zip top bag with corner cut off
Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
Equipment
- Stand or Handheld Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Half Sheet Pans
- Piping Bag or Ziptop Bag
Ingredients
- 4 Egg Whites, cold
- 1 cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- Green Food Coloring or Green Food Gel
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Before starting:Make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are very clean with no traces of oil / butter from previous recipes. If in doubt, rub the bowl and beaters with a bit of white vinegar and then rinse them to remove any trace of oil.
- Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or top with silicon baking mats.
- Prepare a pastry bag and fit it with a large plain / round tip. (If you don't have a pastry bag, just use a large zip-top bag with one corner cut off.)
- If not already separated, crack eggs and separate whites and yolks. (Note: Do this carefully. If there are any yolks mixed in with the whites, they will not whip correctly.)
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high until light and foamy, ~2 minutes. Turn the mixer down and slowly add sugar while the mixer is running. Add cream of tarter.
- Increase mixer to high and continue mixing until egg whites are smooth and glossy, ~5 minutes more. (Note: You'll know this is done when the mixture forms "stiff peaks" and stays in those peaks if you turn the beater upside down.)
- Add food coloring / gel, mixing on medium, until the meringue reaches your desired color of green.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and pipe into tree shapes on prepared baking sheet, making the base of each tree about the size of a quarter.
- Top the trees with sprinkles.
- Transfer trees to the oven and bake until very dry and crisp, rotating the pans halfway through, 2 to 2 ½ hours. Test for doneness by pulling one of the trees off the parchment paper. If it releases easily and is very crunchy, it's done. (If the trees show any signs of turning golden brown before they are crisp, reduce heat to 175 degrees F.)
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Will keep for 3 to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Oh boy. So. Much. Excitement.
Ron
What a great idea. Here in Sweden we love meringues, so I know this will be a hit at our upcoming Julebord (Christmas buffet).
Jess
I think meringues are terribly overlooked here in the U.S. When were in Paris a few weeks ago, we saw them everywhere and I was inspired. They're such a great crunchy sweet treat and so easy to make! (P.S. Ron, I love the word Julebord!)
Dawn Hetfield
Followed the instructions to the letter and it would not stiffen up. I had to beat more egg whites and add them in to get it to remotely stand. But then they didn't keep the shape. They slowly merged down into a round mound. What size eggs were used? I'm confused, because they should have turned out.
Jess
Hi Dawn - I'm so sorry to hear this. I suspect something went wrong with the beating of the egg whites - either they were over or under beaten. Did your egg whites form stiff peaks like in the photo? They should stay put when you hold the beater upside down.
Nancy
If you dont have a high dollar stand mixer, or even a speedy hand mixer, its prolly not going to get enough speed to whip your eggs fluffy enough, I had the same issue when making 7 minute frosting for my Christmas cookies. Spoiler alert...dont try divinity either.
Sue
I made these with my 4 year old granddaughter. They were so much fun to make. So festive, and they melt in your mouth! Definitely adding them to my annual cookie baking. Thank you!
Jess
Thanks so much for your sweet note, Sue! So glad you both liked them!
Drew
Perfect recipe!
Katie
Tips: the cream of tartar is NOT optional, y’all. I mean, you could try to make it without, but that “mix for 5 min” deal turns into like 45 min.
Get the cream of tartar.
Also, splurge on the $5 it costs to get a piping tool set. Makes it way easier and they’ll actually look like trees.
I used a plastic bag, and I don’t suck at piping. My trees look like festive turds 😂
But they taste good!!!
Everything else is on point! I’m making them again next year, but with my own learned lessons added in.
Bb
Added a bit of peppermint to it and they were awesome.
Jess
Yes - great call on the peppermint!
Teri
I was looking for a recipe that included peppermint, so when I found that you added the peppermint I was wondering how many drops you would use for this recipe.
Jess Smith
I just add about 1/2 teaspoon. It has a lot of flavor, so a little goes a long way.
Karen
Made these for our office party and they turned out perfect I used green sprinkles and it made the green trees because it had sugar in it and because I could not find the green food coloring and then I sprinkled green sprinkle with little balls pearl balls on it and a few red sprinkles and red balls They were really pretty and they tasted really good Thank you very much!
Jess Smith
You're so welcome! I'd love to try them with red balls - how festive!
Crystal Taylor
Can you add extract or will it mess up fluffyness
Jess Smith
Yes - you can absolutely add extract. Just be sure to add a few drops towards the end of whipping the egg whites so that it doesn't interfere with them rising.
Tiffany
These did not turn out. I beat them exactly as instructed. I didnt use cream of tartar because it said it was optional and I didnt have any. They did not setup like they shouldve.
Jess Smith
Hi Tiffany - I'm so sorry to hear that. Did they hold their shape when you piped the onto the baking sheet and then flatten as they baked or did they never hold their shape? If they never formed the Christmas tree shapes (even before baking), I suspect it's an issue with being over or under beaten - it's a fine line there. Though the egg whites should hold their shape and can bake correctly even without the cream of tartar, it lends a remarkable amount of stability that helps to mitigate any other issues. I've actually updated the recipe to say that so that others don't run into the same problem. Thanks so much for your note.
Deb
I'm not sure how old my cream of tartar is, but I have meringue powder that I bought recently. Do you know if I could do a 1:1 ratio substitution?
Megan
Well, I didn’t use cream of tartar because we didn’t have any and I decided to bake at 10 pm on Christmas Eve so no stores were open (how very 2020 of me). To my surprise they kept their tree shape beautifully and they’re delicious!
Kayla
Can you freeze these? I'd love to make them for Christmas cookie trays but i make everything a few weeks early!
Jess Smith
I haven't ever tried freezing them. Moisture is the enemy of meringues, so I'm not sure how it would work in the freezer. I'd be nervous that they would come in contact with moisture as they defrosted and would soften. It might be worth a shot, but I'd test it out ahead of time.
Debbie Benedict
These look fun to make. How long will they stay fresh? Planning my Christmas baking😊🎄
Jess Smith
These will stay crisp for 3 to 4 days. Just be very sure that they are completely dry and crisp after baking. If they have any amount of moisture in them after baking they will soften as they sit.
Alayna
Hi how would I cut this recipe in half for a test bake? I am making these for Christmas but want to try to recipe before hand
Thankyou
Jess Smith
Hi there! You can easily halve the recipe just using 2 egg white and a 1/2 cup of sugar. Just use a pinch of cream of tartar (no need to measure it).
Tw
When do you add sprinkles?
Jess Smith
Hi there! The sprinkles are added in Step 10 of the recipe.
Melissa
My little Christmas trees turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Jess Smith
So glad! Thanks so much for letting me know, Melissa!
Veronica Duran
I am excited to try your recipe I will let you know with pictures this Thursday I'm baking.
Christina Vogdes
What size piping tip did you use? And can I sprinkle with sparkling sugar or do you think that will melt?
Jess Smith
I use a 1A piping tip (Wilton). I'm not certain, but I think at the low temps used to make meringues, sparkling sugar should work fine.
Deborah
My trees are adorable! But they’re chewy on the inside. Did I not bake them long enough (if that’s the case then I may have solved the problem as they are back in the oven now) or do you think I overbeat the egg whites? Either way, my littles think these are the best “cookies” they’ve ever had! ❤️
Jess Smith
Yay! I'm so glad they turned out cute. And yes - most likely they just need to bake a little longer to remove all of that internal moisture. They'll also continue to dry out as they sit and cool, so if they're a teeny bit chewy on the inside when they come out, they're probably fine and will crisp up as they sit. Enjoy!!!