Meringue kisses
These colourful meringue kisses are the perfect summer party dessert or nibble. It’s an easy meringue recipe for kids to make, simply whisk the egg whites, add the sugar, pipe and bake!
Meringue kisses might look impressive but are surprisingly easy to make. They’re little bite sized treats made from whipped egg white, sugar and a little food colouring. They’re deliciously crisp on the outside yet melt in your mouth with a little chew on the inside. What’s not to love?!
Meringue kisses are a great dessert for anyone who loves a pavlova but perhaps don’t have the time to make one or just want to make something a little bit smaller.
How can kids help to make meringue kisses?
Meringues are really easy for kids to make. There’s only two ingredients so once you’ve separated the eggs (which is the trickiest part), you just need to whip the egg whites and add the sugar.
Adding the sugar one spoon at a time is a great job and will keep your kids concentrating for a long time!
When you come to make the kisses, your kids can have a chance to practice their piping skills. If they find it hard help guide their hands and use a food clip to stop the meringue coming out the top of the piping bag.
Can I make meringue kisses without a stand mixer?
Yes, while a stand mixer makes life a lot easier, you can make these without one. If you have a hand mixer, that’s the next best thing or you can whip the eggs by hand but it will take a bit more effort.
Can I add any flavorings or colour to meringue kisses?
Yes, I think adding colour makes meringue kisses even more special. You could add some bake safe food colour straight into the meringue, or paint a little bit into the piping bag if you want a more marbled colour effect like ours.
If you want you can also add a little flavour. Try added a drop or two of vanilla extract, or a fruit or mint extract.
What are stiff peaks?
When you’re whipping the egg whites, you’ll need to do it until you have what’s known as ‘stiff peaks’. That means the egg whites are smooth and shiny and if you lift your beater up a little peak should stay and not flop down. To achieve stiff peaks, make sure your bowl and beaters/whisk are clean and free of any grease.
How do I pipe meringue kisses?
Use a piping bag fitted with a star or round tip to pipe meringue kisses onto a baking tray lined with baking or parchment paper. Stick the corners of the baking paper down with a little bit of meringue before you start. Hold the piping bag vertically and squeeze from the top to create small, uniform mounds. You can add a bag clip to the top of the bag to stop any meringue spilling out the top.
Why are my meringue kisses sticky or chewy?
Sticky or chewy meringue kisses may result from underbaking or high humidity. Make sure you bake them at a low temperature for a sufficient amount of time, and store them in an airtight container in a dry place to prevent humidity-related issues.
Can I make meringue kisses in advance?
Yes, you can make them ahead of time and store them in an air tight container for a week or so.
How do I serve meringue kisses?
Meringue kisses can be served as a sweet treat on their own, used as cake decorations, or added to desserts like ice cream or pudding for added texture and flavor. They would be great in a deconstructed Eton Mess type dessert, or as an easier and quicker alternative to a pavlova.
Can I scale the recipe up (or down)?
This is a really easy recipe that is really very simple to change the quantities for depending on how many you want to make.
You can adjust this recipe to make as many or few meringue kisses as you like, simply use 50g of sugar for every egg white. We had 6 egg whites leftover from making icecream, so made a lot but halving that would still give you plenty for a delicious dessert.
What can I use the leftover egg yolks in?
Lots of recipes use egg yolks. If you’re planning to make any straight away, you can freeze them to use at a later date. All these recipe use one or more egg yolks:
Custard creams
Chocolate waffle pudding
Chocolate pots
Berry ice cream
Chocolate thumbpring cookies
Boston cream pie
Schnecken
Similar recipes
If you liked these meringue kisses you’ll love some of these other easy desserts:
Meringue nests
Summer berry pavlova
Chocolate pavlova
Berry yoghurt parfait
Lemon tartlets
Strawberry cheesecake
Mint choc chip ice cream
Eton Mess ice cream
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these meringue kisses.
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Hand held whisk
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Wire rack
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Ingredients
3 large egg whites
150g (2/3 cups) caster sugar
Food colouring
How to make meringue kisses
Preheat the oven to 160C / 140C Fan / gas 3 and prepare several baking trays
Whip the egg whites
Separate the egg whites from the yolks (I do this bit myself as it’s important you don’t get any yolks in the whites). I find the easiest way to do this is to crack the egg in half over a small bowl and tip the yolk from one half of the shell to the other letting the whites drip down into bowl.
Get your toddler to pour the egg whites into your mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. Whisk them until they are stiff and cloud like. It’ll take a few minutes on a high speed.
Add the sugar
While your eggs are whisking, get your child to measure the sugar out into a small bowl.
When the egg whites are stiff, keep the mixer running and get your kids to add the sugar to the eggs whites one teaspoonful at time until it is all added. Don’t be tempted to add the sugar any faster. You need to make sure one spoon of sugar has dissolved into the egg white before adding the next spoon otherwise the meringue won’t work properly.
Make the meringue kisses
Prepare your piping bag by adding the nozzle and getting your child to paint stripes of food colouring down the side of the bag using a pastry brush.
Spoon the meringue into the bag and get your little chef to help you pipe little kisses on to the baking tray. We found it worked best if I held the piping bag at the top to stop the meringue coming out the end and guided where we were piping while my kids squeezed the meringue kisses out. Older children might be able to manage on their own with a bit of practice.
Bake your meringue kisses
Pop your baking trays in your preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. The meringues are ready when they’re crispy on top and easily come off the baking paper. Turn your oven off.
Keep the oven door closed while your oven cools down if you like your meringues to be slightly chewy on the inside.
Serve with whipped cream and fruit.
The meringue kisses will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Meringue kisses
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 150 g (2/3 cups) caster sugar
- Food colouring
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160C / 140C Fan / gas 3 and prepare several baking trays
Whip the egg whites
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Add the egg whites to a mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. Whisk them until they are stiff and cloud like. It’ll take a few minutes on a high speed
Add the sugar
- While your eggs are whisking, measure the sugar out into a small bowl. When the egg whites are stiff, keep the mixer running and add the sugar to the eggs whites one teaspoonful at time until it is all added.
Make the meringue kisses
- Prepare your piping bag by adding the nozzle and then paint stripes of food colouring down the side of the bag using a pastry brush.
- Spoon the meringue into the bag and pipe little kisses on to the baking tray.
Bake your meringue kisses
- Pop your baking trays in your preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes until the meringues are crispy on top and easily come off the baking paper. Turn your oven off.
- Keep the oven door closed while your oven cools down if you like your meringues to be slightly chewy on the inside.
- Serve with whipped cream and fruit.
Notes
Pin it for later
Similar recipes
If you liked these meringue kisses, you’ll love our chocolate pavlova, and our easy dessert recipes for kids.
This recipe was first published in April 2018, and updated in August 2023.
Talya says
I have to say these look amazing! I am loving all your foodie inspiration please keep it coming! and thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub with this x
Julie Downes says
These look lovely. My son loves meringue at the moment and I’m sure he’d love to make these, especially with the amazing red colour in them. #coolmumclub
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
I love how super pretty your little meringue kisses are Helen – the swirls of colour always add so much to bakes like this. Have you ever tried it with a fruit coulis – I did some with a raspberry coulis a while ago, it was pleasantly surprising how much the flavour came through and the colour stayed true. I’m still in awe of how great your two children are in the kitchen Helen 🙂 Thankyou so much for sharing with #BakingCrumbs,
Angela x
cookingwithmykids says
I’ve never tried that but it sounds delicious. Next time! My kids always want to help me in the kitchen and it’s taken a while but now, more often than not they are an actual help rather than a hindrance!