One of my favorite treats to make for the holidays are meringue cookies, and these Meringue Christmas Trees are such a beautiful, and surprisingly easy treat to make for the holidays. They’re crisp on the outside, and light and airy in the middle, that they practically melt in your mouth. This green, festive version is so pretty, and would be so great on your cookie platters.
Are you looking for a new festive treat for the Christmas season? These pretty Christmas Tree Merinuges will definitely steal the show. They’re naturally gluten free, made with only 8 ingredients, let your stand mixer do the work!
These would be so pretty added to your Christmas trays. I’ll be adding them to mine this year along with my Ginger Molasses Cookies, M and M Christmas Cookies, and Milk Chocolate Covered Oreos.
Why make this Recipe
- Elegant and Beautiful – With a light green color, Christmas tree shape, and decorated with Christmas tree sprinkle ornaments, these meringue trees are made to impress.
- Light and Airy Texture – A delicate, light, crispy texture that practically melts in your mouth makes these cookies such a nice contrast to all the other heavy holiday desserts.
- Great for Gifting – These look so impressive packaged in clear cellophane bags, or cookie tins.
Ingredients Needed
- Egg Whites – Let them come to room temperature before whipping if they are cold.
- Salt – Just a dash for flavor
- Cream of Tartar – This helps stabilize the egg whites
- Granulated Sugar – Sweetens it all, and helps it hold together.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a nice vanilla flavor to the meringues. You can also add up to 1/2 tsp of other extracts for different flavors like peppermint, orange, almond, etc.
- Green Gel Food Coloring – Do not use liquid food coloring because it will add too much extra moisture to your batter.
- Sprinkles and Edible Stars – Decorate your meringues to make them look extra merry for the holidays.
How to make Meringue Christmas Trees?
Step 1: Beat the Egg Whites. Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and beat on low speed with a stand mixer, or hand mixer, because you’ll be mixing this for several minutes. Beat on low until foamy.
Step 2: Add in the Sugar. Raise the mixer speed to medium high, and add in 1 TBS at a time of the granulated sugar. Mix between each addition, for about 20 seconds to make sure the sugar is dissolving with each addition. Continue mixing until all the sugar is added, and mix until the mixture has stiff peaks. Add in the Vanilla and Food Coloring. Add to the mixture and mix until just combined.
Step 3: Pipe onto Baking Sheet. Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag or ziplock bag with a large star tip. Pipe the meringue onto a lined baking sheet, about 2.5 to 2 inches in width, piping a bottom circle, then going up like a Christmas tree would. Keep them about 2 inches apart to allow for minimal spread as they bake. Sprinkle the tops with jimmies for ornaments, and top with a sprinkle star on top.
Step 4: Bake the Meringues. Place the meringues in the oven and bake for 2 hours at 200 F. After that time, turn off the oven but keep the pan in the oven for another 2 hours. Then remove them from the oven. They should be crispy and lift easily from the parchment paper.
Tips and Tricks:
- Egg Whites: Separate the egg whites when the eggs are cold. Separate them into a different bowl to ensure if you have a yolk break you don’t have to discard the whole thing. You don’t want any egg yolk to be in the whites or they won’t whip. Let your egg whites come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before whipping them to make the cookies.
- Add the Sugar Slowly: We want to add the sugar slowly, so it has a chance to dissolve between each addition and to prevent the meringue from deflating.
Storage Instructions
Meringue cookies hate moisture. So make sure to store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, or in a cool place, but not in the fridge. They should stay good for up to 2 weeks.
These Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies are the perfect light, and crispy, melt in your mouth cookies. They’re so pretty and will be perfect for all your holiday celebrations! Grab some sprinkles, whip up a batch, and get in the Christmas spirit now!
More Christmas Treats
- Christmas White Trash Recipe
- Vanilla Caramel Creams Recipe
- Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Linzer Tart Cookies
- Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
If you try these Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 dash salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- green gel food coloring
- 1 TBS non pareils
- 1 TBS star sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking pans with parchment paper, and set them aside.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl. (Discard of the egg yolks, or add them to an omelet, or use them otherwise). 4 large egg whites
- Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and mix them together on low speed until it becomes foamy. 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 1 dash salt
- Slowly increase the mixer speed to medium high, and add the sugar to the mixing bowl 1 Tablespoon at a time. Making sure the sugar is completely dissolved before adding the next tablespoon, this will take about 20-30 seconds between each addition. 1 cup granulated sugar
- Continue to mix until the mixture is thick, shiny, and has stiff peaks. This will take several minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, and green food coloring and mix until just combined. 1 tsp vanilla extract, green gel food coloring
- Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag or ziplock bag with a large star tip.
- Pipe the meringue about 2 inches across at the bottom, working up to make the shape of Christmas trees, each about 2 inches apart, until all the mixture is piped onto the cookie sheets.
- Sprinkle non pareils on the bottoms of each meringue, and top each gently, and carefully with a candy star. 1 TBS non pareils, 1 TBS star sprinkles
- Bake the pans in the oven for 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat, and leave the pans in the oven for another 2 hours without opening the door, so they can completely dry out. They will be crisp on the outside and lift freely from the parchment paper.
- Carefully remove from the parchment paper and enjoy, or store in an airtight container.
These are my newest favorite cookie. I’m sure I could have eaten a whole dozen if I didn’t tell myself to stop. They are so yummy. Wow!