Cuban Merenguitos (Meringue Cookies/Kisses)

Nothing beats a 4-ingredient cookie, am I right!?

Well, these “cookies” are actually little mounds of meringue that we, Cubans, affectionately call merenguitos (pronounced meh-rehng-gih-tohs) or merengue cookies. We also love our torticas de moron but that’s a story for another day. ;)

Merenguitos are made by whipping egg whites with sugar, cream of tartar, and salt until stiff peaks form, and then baking the little “kisses” until crisp perfection. Does it take a long time to bake? Yep. Are they worth it? Absolutely!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Nostalgic, Cuban snack. These Cuban meringue cookies remind me so much of my childhood. Every time, I’d go grocery shopping with my mom, I’d place a bag of merenguitos in the shopping cart. I enjoy them now with Cuban coffee!

• Easy, super customizable. While these classic cookies are easy to make the traditional way, you can also make them your own by piping them into different shapes, adding food coloring or sprinkles, or even dipping them in melted chocolate after baking them.

• Only 4 ingredients. These Cuban merenguitos are made with 4 simple ingredients that I bet you’ll find in your kitchen right now.

• Perfect snack or dessert for any holiday. I can absolutely see you making these meringue kisses for Easter or Christmas.

Let me show you how to make them!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Egg whites. Make sure they are room temperature so they whip up faster.

• Cream of tartar. This is a powdery acid that acts as the stabilizer for the meringue. Without this, you risk the meringue collapsing while whisking.

• Pinch of salt. Elevates the flavor of the cookies.

• Granulated sugar. Typically, meringue is made with superfine sugar, however, for these Cuban merenguitos, regular granulated sugar worked fine for me.

Trick For Separating Egg Whites From Egg Yolks

The trick to separating egg whites from egg yolks easily is by doing it with cold eggs.

Once you separate the two, place the egg whites in a small glass bowl and let them come to room temperature before starting this recipe.

Don’t throw away the 4 egg yolks! Use them to make my classic tiramisu, my key lime pie with a Maria cookie crust, or to start Crema de Vie (Cuban eggnog).

Step-By-Step Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

• Make the meringue. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a bowl using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt, at low speed, for about 1-2 minutes until frothy. Slowly begin adding sugar, while whisking, until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes total. You know you have stiff peaks when you flip over the bowl and the meringue stays in the bowl.

• Pipe the cookies. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe 1 ½-inch in diameter meringue kisses onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

• Bake the cookies. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn the oven off but leave them in there for 30 minutes with the oven off so they can firm up. DON’T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.

• Make sure they cool at room temperature. Remove from the oven. The meringue kisses should be dry, firm, and crispy but not brown or sticky. Allow them to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Don’t add the sugar all at once. Slowly adding the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time as you’re whisking, will allow the egg whites to whip up quickly.

• No plastic bowls. Use a ceramic, glass, or metal bowl to make these meringue cookies. Plastic bowls or utensils tend to retain oils that can be detrimental to the cookies.

• Best piping tip for merenguitos? I recommend using a large star tip like the Wilton1M or the Wilton #32 tip.

• Flavoring & Color. Feel free to stir in a teaspoon of espresso powder, or 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, peppermint extract, or almond extract. You can also add a few drops of food coloring of your choice or a small dollop of icing color.

• Decorations. You can add sugar sprinkles or rainbow nonpareils before baking, or dip the bottoms of the meringue kisses with melted chocolate after baking.