Add a touch of festive magic with these super cute and easy to make Christmas Tree Meringues. This no-fail recipe gives you perfect meringue cookies that are as light as air and melt in your mouth. Naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, they are perfect for festive treats and homemade gifts.
If you guys are anything like me, then you’ll be eagerly awaiting for the Holidays to arrive. Not just because it’s time to spend with family, friends and full of lots of love. But because of the food, and more exciting… the desserts!
My dessert brain goes into overdrive the closer we get to Christmas. So many ideas, just not enough time to make them all.
I promise that I’m working through the list and recipes, and I’m even baking some of them over on the Facebook page for the live sessions. Why not head on over and join in the fun!
With Christmas around the corner my sweet tooth is starting to twitch with all the fabulous sweet things on offer. From my Mince Pie cake with brandy buttercream, to beautiful shortcrust pastry Mince Pies, or a quick and easy gingerbread roulade. There’s too much to choose from!
For me, my absolute quick and easy favourite is these little show-stopping Christmas Tree Meringues!
The Perfect Light & Airy Meringue
I love meringue! And I mean, a good proper meringue with a light, crispy shell on the outside and soft, chewy and marshmallowy in the middle.
It’s quite possible one of the simplest yet most satisfying sweet and versatile desserts I can think of. And before you argue with me, let’s just say store-bought meringue is not a patch on homemade!
I’m going to share with you my tried and trusted meringue recipe. With a thick and glossy meringue batter, it can also be used for pavlovas, nests, flavoured, coloured, dolloped, spread, crumbled, sandwiched, dipped in chocolate or just eaten as it is.
Want to know more?
Why you’ll love these Christmas Tree meringues
Just take a look at them, how cute are these little dudes with their stars on the top! That should be enough to convince you that you want to bake these. But let me also tell you…
- Light and crispy on the outside, soft and marshmallowy in the middle
- They are super quick and easy to make with just 4 ingredients
- Easily adaptable recipe to make lots of different meringue desserts
- Add a touch of peppermint extract and the ultimate Christmas flavour
- Add an extra touch of icing sugar and you’ve got snowy Christmas trees
How do they sound? Ready to make some?
What you’ll need to make Christmas tree meringues
View my Amazon shopping list with equipment and ingredients.
One of the best things about making meringues is that the ingredients are super simple; and I know that you’ll have them waiting in the cupboard for you!
The Ingredients
So when you’re ready to get stuck in, here’s what you’ll need…
- Egg Whites – If you keep your eggs in the fridge, get them out about 15 minutes before you start to let them come up to room temperature. They are much easier to whisk. If you don’t have time, pop the cold eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for a few minutes, this will take the chill off them.
- Caster or Superfine Sugar – Or you can use a half and half mixture of caster superfine and icing or powdered sugar or the same quantities.
- Cream of Tartar, Lemon Juice or White Vinegar – Optional, but will help keep your meringue stable and give you the crispy shell and chewy middle.
- Vanilla Extract or Bean Paste – Add a touch of vanilla for flavour, and not just a sugar hit!
Recommended ingredients
The Equipment
Just like the ingredients, you don’t need any special equipment! All you need to do is whip, pipe and bake!
So, grab a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer, or you can whip these up in a stand mixer.
You’ll also need…
- Green Food Colour Gel – I prefer to use colour gels as they will give you a great colour and will not alter the consistency of the meringue batter.
- Baking Sheets – You need plenty of space for your meringues so grab two sheets to make sure you have room. You’ll also need baking parchment or silicone baking mats to pipe your meringues on to.
- Star Piping Nozzle – I use a Wilton 1M nozzle, but you can use any style with a 1cm opening; the wider your nozzle, the larger your meringue.
Recommended equipment
How to make these meringues
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card
Don’t be fooled by others that insist that meringues are hard to master. They are one of the simplest desserts to make, and it’s all about having a little patience!
With just three ingredients and a low and slow bake, these little guys are great for making and decorating with children, in the build up to the Holidays!
So when you’re ready, let’s go!
Making the Meringue
Quite simply, this part of the recipe is adding the eggs whites, caster sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla extract into a bowl and whisking together with a handheld mixer.
Start off with whisking the egg whites until they start to thicken up – about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. Then add half the sugar, cream of tartar and the vanilla extract, and whisk together for another 2 minutes.
TOP TIP: If you want to go for a more festive favourite, swap out the vanilla extract for peppermint extract instead.
Add the remaining ingredients, and whisk on medium-high speed until the meringue batter is thick, smooth and glossy – about 6-8 minutes.
If colouring the meringue, add the food colour gel and mix through for an even colour.
TOP TIP: To check if your meringue batter is ready, take a small pinch of the batter and rub it between your thumb and finger. If the batter feels grainy, the sugar is not fully incorporated so whisk again. If the batter feels smooth, it is ready to pipe.
Piping the Christmas Trees
Scoop the meringue batter into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and pipe onto baking sheets lined with baking parchment or silicone baking sheets.
You can pipe the batter into any shape you like. If you want Christmas trees, pipe into swirls pulling up to form the top of the tree, for the star. Don’t forget to add your sprinkles before baking.
TOP TIP: If you don’t have a piping bag and nozzle, don’t panic. Fill a freezer or Zip-loc bag with the meringue batter and sniff off the corner for a simple piping bag.
Baking the Meringue
Easy so far? Now for the patience part. The key to baking meringues is keeping it low and slow!
Pop the meringues into a preheated oven at 100C/210F, and bake for 1 hour. When baked, leave the meringues in the oven and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight if you can. This dries out the meringues giving that crispy shell and the marshmallowy centre.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe will make approximately 24 Christmas Tree meringues, depending on how large they are piped.
The meringues are best kept in an air-tight container at room temperature.
The meringues will keep up to 5 days at room temperature.
Yes you can, but I don’t recommend it. If you want to freeze the meringues, be very careful when they defrost as the moisture can make the meringue soggy. To freeze, put them in an air-tight, freezer-proof container and add baking parchment between the layers. The meringues can then be frozen for up to 1 month. Remember to defrost thoroughly before eating.
Tricks and tips for perfect meringues
If you’re ready to really nail your meringue recipe, then check out these tips and tricks and you’ll be making perfect Christmas tree meringues every time…
- Use a spotless mixing bowl – Before your start, wipe your bowl out with a little lemon juice, this will make sure there is no traces of fat. Fat will cause the egg white protein to shorten, which means it won’t hold as well.
- Add cream of tartar for stability – Alternatively, you can use 1/2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar. The acid helps keep the meringue stable and gives you a crispy shell and soft mallowy centre.
- Use caster sugar or superfine sugar – Or you can use a mixture of icing sugar and caster sugar. Regular granulated sugar is too coarse, but a finer sugar gives the meringue a nice light texture. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking for a few seconds between each addition.
- Keep on whisking – Make sure you whisk your meringue until it’s thick and glossy. This will take about 4-8 minutes. If the meringue foam is too wet, the meringues will collapse when baked.
- Bake long and low – For crispy shells and soft middles, the meringues are best baked slowly for longer. Set the oven to 100C/ 210F and bake for approximately 1 hour, turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool completely, preferably overnight if you can.
More Christmas recipes to try
If you liked these Christmas tree meringues, here are some other recipes that I think you’d enjoy…
Christmas Tree Meringues
Ingredients
- 4 Egg Whites Medium
- 200 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract or Peppermint Extract
- Green Food Colouring Gel
- Red, Green and White Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 100C/ 210F and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Alternatively, you can use silicone baking mats on the baking sheets.
- Place the egg whites in a large bowl and using a handheld mixer, whisk until the egg whites start to stiffen, about 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment.
- Add half the caster sugar, cream or tartar and vanilla extract and whisk again until combined.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Continue to whisk on medium-high speed until the egg whites are thick, smooth and glossy and forming stiff peaks, about 6-8 minutes. Then add green food colour gel and mix until evenly dispersed.
- Test the meringue batter, by rubbing a pinch of the mixture between your fingers, it should be smooth. If it still feels a little grainy, keep whisking.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle with the meringue batter, then pipe the meringue in tall swirl shapes, onto the baking parchment. Leave 2-4 cms between the meringues. Scatter any sprinkle decorations over the top.
- Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Turn the heat off and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely to preventing cracking. If you can, allow the meringues to cool in the oven overnight.
- When fully cool, remove the meringues from the baking parchment.
Notes
- Use a spotless mixing bowl – wipe your bowl out with a little lemon juice before adding the eggs, this will help make sure there’s no fat traces on it. Fat will cause the egg white protein to shorten, which means it won’t hold as well.
- Add a little cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar – the acid helps keep the meringue stable and give your meringues a crisp shell and soft centre.
- Use caster or superfine sugar – alternatively use a mixture of icing sugar and caster sugar. Regular granulated sugar is too coarse, but a finer sugar gives the meringue a nice light texture. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking for a few seconds between each addition.
- Keep on whisking – please bear with your meringue and whisk it until it’s thick and glossy. Wet soggy meringue foam will cause the meringue to collapse. You may think you’re over-whisking but you’re not.
- Bake long and low – meringues are best when baked slowly, so set the oven to 100C/ 210F and let them bake for approximately 1 hour.
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
I’ve been making meringues for years without a ‘modern’ recipe. This helps a bunch. And I LOVE the idea of doing Christmas trees. I had never thought of that. I greatly enjoy your website!
This recipe sounds lovely 🙂
I’m not sure, but do you need to bake meringues with both top & bottom heat? Or only top? Thanks
Hi A, thanks for your question. For these meringues if you are using a conventional oven, I would suggest it is best to bake with both top and bottom heat but place the meringues either in the middle or towards the bottom of the oven. If you have a fan setting, you can place them anywhere but middle is best. Hope that helps.
These are lovely and work just fine if you DO NOT use pure peppermint extract as many of brands incorporate peppermint OIL in the extract – which will kill your meringue instantly. Took me two tries to figure that out :). Otherwise – I love them!!
Thank you DeAnna for your feedback; I wonder if you have a different extract to the one I use. I’ve used the Neilsen Massey and Waitrose ones without any issue. Peppermint essence could also work instead which is basically a ‘diluted’ peppermint extract. I’ll update the recipe with a comment about the extract/essence information.
I still make these every year and use the recipe all year round for Valentine meringue hearts, or a summer fruit pavlova!
Made these for Christmas and they turned out so great. Left the meringue white, put a yellow star on top and drizzled mixed colored round sprinkles on them. They look so good and they taste great. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Can I use swerve instead of sugar. My little granddaughter is a diabetic and she also has celiac.
We have to really watch her carbs. I think these would be really cute for her.
Well mine turned out pretty good! I did use granulated sugar and I think that’s why mine look different so I’ll definitely use caster sugar next time. They’re also kind of gummy instead of crispy and light (I’m guessing that has something to do with the sugar I used.) Also – 1 teaspoon of mint extract was just right. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I think my family is going to enjoy them.
Hi Nicole
They look fantastic! The granulated sugar might be why they are a little gummy, as the sugar may not have dissolved into the egg white completely. You can use it instead of caster sugar but adding it really slowly. Also you can blitz the sugar in a blender so it is a little finer, not too much or you get icing sugar. Hope everyone enjoyed them!
Lou x
Can these be frozen?
Hi Erica
Yes you can freeze the meringues, but I don’t recommend it. All the information is in the post, under the Frequently Asked Questions.
Hope that helps.
Lou
How do you get the decorations to stick after they are baked?
Hi Eileen
For the sugar paste decorations I use a little water, just to wet them to make them a little sticky. You could use a little Royal icing or melted chocolate. For the tiny sprinkle decorations, I scatter them over the wet meringue, before they are baked.
Hope that helps.
What a cute idea! I love the idea someone posted of making them mint flavored as well!
Thank you Lily 🙂 The peppermint flavour works really well; I’ve added it to my last batch of meringues for Christmas gifts.
This is silly but how much is 100g of sugar converted to tsp or Tbs?
Hi Cheryl
Not a problem at all. A teaspoon is 5g, so it would be 20 teaspoons of sugar. A tablespoon is 15g so it would be 7 tablespoons (6.67) of sugar.
Hope that helps.
Thank you! Having a party tomorrow and these would be great! 🙂 You have awesome recipes. I want to try them all! The pinwheel cookies are adorable!
Thank you. I love the pinwheel cookies, they are pretty easy to put together and the recipe is makes a great sugar cookie 🙂
Hope the meringues go well and have a great party!
These are so so so cute. I’m going to attempt it… but I’m kind of a perfectionist so I’m scared.
Thank you Nicole! I’m sure yours will be perfect 🙂 Have just looked through your website, love your photography!
Oh my gosh! Thank you!
P.S. I’m wondering if I can make these mint flavored. Any tips?
Adding a little peppermint extract would be the best way, start with 2 teaspoons and add to taste. Add it after the sugar and whisk it well 🙂
Fabulous thank you!
That’s so sweet. Love it. I love the color very much and I will try to make this within this week.
Thanks Elaine. I hope that you get chance to make them 🙂
these are so adorable!
Thank you Dina for all your lovely comments 🙂