These adorably festive Meringue Trees are made from light and airy meringue batter that results in crisp cookies that melt in your mouth. The Christmas tree shape and the green color are what turn this classic meringue recipe into a fun holiday dessert for the whole family. Eating them off a stick might just be the best part!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send this idea straight to your inbox (plus you’ll receive fun weekly ideas from us too!)
We’re having ourselves a meringue Christmas this year with these adorable meringue Christmas trees!
They are almost too cute to eat but then again, light, crispy, and sweet meringue is too good not to take a bite!
If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at learning how to make meringue, this recipe for Christmas meringue is the perfect place to start. It’s an easy recipe with just 20 minutes of prep time and although there are some tips and tricks to keep in mind, I’m going to walk you through it all.
There’s no need to buy store-bought meringue anymore – all of you home cooks will be whipping up meringue like professional pastry chefs in no time 😉
These little desserts on a stick are so much fun for both kids and adults and because we’re shaping our meringue into little Christmas trees! Like these blueberry hand pies, Christmas tree brownies, and Christmas tree cookies they make the perfect addition to any holiday cookie plate.
So, grab your egg whites, and let’s get crackin’
Why you’ll love this
- Easy – There are only 3 ingredients needed to make classic meringue. The remaining ingredients are flavor additions and decorations. As long as you follow the directions as stated, you’ll be surprised at how simple it is.
- Customizable – Keep them snow-covered white, or dyed green. Add sprinkles or don’t, it’s all up to you how you want to decorate your little Meringue trees. There’s always room for whimsy during the holidays!
- Versatile – Christmas meringue not only makes a great dessert for parties, but it also makes an adorable edible gift (especially when given along with these Christmas gift tags). Keep them on display in a cup of sprinkles and they also make a great centerpiece!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Egg whites – The key to a good meringue is making sure your egg whites are room temperature and completely separated from the yolks. No trace of yolk should be found, otherwise, the fat won’t allow for them to whip up. Keep the yolks for tomorrow’s breakfast!
- Cream of tartar – This is the acid that stabilizes the egg whites so they hold their shape. No one wants deflated meringue!
- Sugar – Super-fine granulated or caster sugar works best for meringue. Regular granulated sugar is your next best alternative, but powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar) should be your last resort.
- Vanilla extract – This is just one flavor option. Peppermint extract, almond, mint or orange extract would also be tasty!
How to make Meringue Christmas Trees
Making these meringue trees is actually easier than it looks! You’re just going to make the meringue (which is really just mixing things together), pipe them on lollipop sticks, and let bake! They may look impressive, but they’re really not that hard to make!
1 – Make the Meringue
- Preheat your oven to 200°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I know some people do these on silicone mats, but I prefer parchment paper!
- Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until foamy, then turn mixer to high speed once it looks like foam in the mixing bowl.
- Start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between. Once all the sugar is added, continue mixing on high speed until it is thick and shiny.
- Once the meringue begins to form stiff peaks (not just soft peaks but stiff ones) and the sugar is completely dissolved it’s ready. To double check, you can rub a small amount of the meringue between your fingers. It should feel smooth, not gritty. If needed, continue mixing on high to medium speed until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and green food coloring and stir until well mixed and the color is even throughout.
2 – Make the Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
- Dip the lollipop stick about 1/2 way into the meringue mixture then put on a baking sheet, leaving enough space between each stick to pipe your Christmas Tree shape. If making cookies or just regular meringue trees, skip this step.
- Transfer the meringue into a large piping bag with a large tip. A round tip, star tip, or a flat tip works best. I used a round tip for these but have also used a large star tip in the past for with results!
- Pipe the meringue onto the dipped end of the sticks in a Christmas tree shape starting near the middle of the stick with longer lines and making the lines shorter as you get near the top. If you’re making cookies, you can do the same thing directly onto the parchment paper, making sure to fill in your tree shape completely.
- Add sprinkles if desired before moving onto baking the Christmas tree meringues.
3 – Bake the Meringues
- Place the meringues on the baking tray in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven but do not open the door. Let cookies cool completely in the oven for 1-2 hours. Meringue should be dry, crisp and very airy when done.
4 – Serve the Meringue trees
If you made pops, place the meringue trees into a cake pop holder, a bowl filled with candies, or anything else that will allow the meringue tree pops to stand upright and give that pop visual!
Or if you’re just making cookies without the pops, you can serve the cookies right on a plate! You could also just serve the pops right on a plate, but I love the idea of them looking like actual cookie pops!
Tips & tricks
Use a kitchen scale to make sure that your sugar is twice the amount in grams as your egg whites for proper whipping.
Super-fine granulated or caster sugar works best in this recipe. Regular granulated will work though, but not powdered sugar. The weight of the sugar used is the most important thing!
The bowl must be completely grease-free or the meringue may not whip up.
Make sure there is no egg yolk in your whites as this can also prevent them from whipping properly.
Store cooked meringue in an airtight container in a dry area for up to 2 weeks.
Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Recipe FAQs
How do you keep meringues crispy overnight?
Avoid moisture at all costs! This means keeping them covered in an airtight container in a dry area and preventing major temperature changes that could cause them to become too moist and soggy.
Why should you not make meringue on a humid or rainy day?
The key to these meringue trees, and any meringue, is the whipping of the egg whites, the proper dissolving of the sugar, and avoiding any excess moisture absorption. If it’s damp or rainy outside, the humidity in the air will cause moisture to be trapped in the meringues making them soft.
Can you over mix meringue cookies?
Ironically, you can over beat egg whites on their own, however, once the egg whites and sugar are combined, it’s much more difficult to over mix the meringue cookie mixture. Keep an eye out for a glossy finish and firm stiff peaks, and you should be good!
More Cute Christmas Treats
If you like these fun Christmas meringues, try out one of these cute Christmas treats next!
- Christmas bark – Crunchy, chocolaty, and loaded with mix-ins. This addicting treat is perfect for gifting as well as snacking.
- Reindeer Chow – Curl up on the couch to watch your favorite Christmas movies with a bowl of reindeer chow. Loaded with pretzels, mini peanut butter cups, m&ms, and more!
- Peanut butter snowballs – these white chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies are always a hit!
- Santa hat cupcakes – red velvet cupcakes topped with, you guessed it, Santa hats!
- Grinch cupcakes – mint cupcakes topped with frosting to make them look just like the Grinch, cute and delicious!
Want more Goodies?
Want more delicious recipes just like this one? Enter your first name and email address in the form below to join the Play Party Plan community! You’ll receive weekly recipes and party ideas directly to your inbox!
Christmas Meringue Trees
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites (at room temperature)
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 ¾ cups + 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or flavor of your choice)
- green gel food coloring
- holiday sprinkles (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until foamy, then turn mixer to high speed.6 large egg whites, 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between. Once all the sugar is added continue mixing on high speed until it is thick and shiny.1 3/4 cups + 2 TBS granulated sugar
- Once meringue forms stiff peaks and all sugar is completely dissolved it’s ready. To double check, rub a small amount of the meringue between your fingers. It should feel smooth, not gritty. If needed, continue mixing until smooth.
- Stir in the flavored extract and food coloring and stir until well mixed and color is even throughout.1 tsp vanilla extract, holiday sprinkles, green gel food coloring
- To make pops, dip the lollipop stick about 1/2 way into the meringue mixture then put on baking sheet, leaving enough space between each stick to pipe your Christmas Tree shape. If making cookies, skip this step.
- Transfer the meringue into a large piping bag with a large tip. Round, star or flat tips work best.
- For pops, pipe the meringue onto the dipped end of the sticks in a Christmas tree shape starting near the middle of the stick with longer lines and making the lines shorter as you get near the top. If making cookies, do the same thing directly onto the parchment paper, making sure to fill in tree shape completely. Add sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven but do not open the door. Let cookies cool completely in the oven for 1-2 hours. Meringue should be dry, crisp and very airy when done.
Leave a Reply