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–+ servings

Pecan Meringue Cookies

Five-ingredient cookies made from egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and pecans.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Drying Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Course Anytime, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, French
Servings 48
Calories 30 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets
  • 2 silicone mats or parchment paper

Ingredients
  

Cookies
  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar by tablespoons and continue beating until stiff peaks form (about 6 minutes).
  • Fold in the pecans until they are distributed throughout the egg-white mixture.
  • Place the silicone mats (or parchment paper) onto the baking sheets. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons onto the baking mats, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for 2 hours (or overnight) to harden.

Notes

Toasting Nuts

You can toast pecans by placing them into a nonstick pan and heating them on medium-low heat for a few minutes. Stir constantly to keep them from burning. Remove them from the heat when they become fragrant and brown lightly. Nuts can burn quickly, so be sure not to cook them too long.

Soft Peaks versus Hard Peaks

When the egg whites are whipped into soft peaks, they appear foamy and will droop. When they are beaten into stiff peaks, they appear white and glossy. You can perform a test to see if they are ready by removing the beater and leaving the meringue attached to it. Turn the beater to point the meringue peak to the ceiling. It will stand stiffly and not droop if it is at the stiff peak stage. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites, or they will collapse and not be usable. It is best to beat them for a few minutes. When they become glossy, perform the stiff peaks test. If the egg whites droop beat them a little longer and test them again.

Egg White Tips

The egg whites cannot have any yolk mixed in, or they might not beat properly. Be careful when separating the yolks from the whites. The yolks are less likely to break if cold, so separate them while they are chilled if you find the yolks break too easily at room temperature. Then, leave them sitting on the countertop to come to room temperature.

Clean Mixing Bowl

The mixing bowl and beater (or beaters) should be clean and dry before beating the egg whites.

Batter Spacing

Space the meringue batter about an inch apart on the baking sheet. This batter spreads very little when baking.

 Nighty-Night Cookies

Make the cookies in the evening and let them stay in the oven overnight. This is a fun cookie-making activity to do with children. 

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 17mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.1mg
Keyword Pecan Meringue Cookies
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