Cute mini meringue Christmas trees that melt in your mouth and have chewy marshmallow centers! These meringues are an easy addition to holiday cookie boxes and a great way to use up leftover egg whites.
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These meringue Christmas trees are my go-to treats when I want to make something quick and easy with minimal ingredients. Meringues are essentially just made with egg whites and sugar so they're perfect for when you don't have any special ingredients ready or if you have leftover egg whites from other recipes like cookies or curds that only used yolks.
Despite being so simple, meringues look so cute when piped with a star piping tip. The creative possibilities are endless when it comes to what you choose to pipe. These Christmas tree-shaped meringues with sprinkles as ornaments are one of the holiday designs you can make with meringue and they're super easy to pipe too.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe is so easy to make with only a few ingredients.
- The meringue Christmas trees are super cute, fun, and festive.
- These meringues melt in your mouth with a marshmallow-y center.
- You can add these to Christmas cookie boxes or use them for decorating other desserts.
- This recipe is great for using up leftover egg whites from other recipes that only used the yolks.
Tools & equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer - You'll need this to whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Don't try to do this manually with a regular whisk - you won't reach the correct consistency before your arm is exhausted! I always use my KitchenAid Hand Mixer or KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
- Piping bag - You can use any simple reusable or disposable piping bags. I don't have a particular preference for any brand but mine are from Ateco. If you don't have any, you can try using a ziploc bag and fit your piping tip into one corner of the bag.
- Piping tips - Any large closed or open star piping tip will work well to pipe these Christmas trees depending on the look you want to achieve. Try a Wilton 6B Open Star Tip for a rounded look or a Wilton 2D Closed Star Tip for a more ruffled look.
Ingredients
- Egg whites - Use egg whites at room temperature. Make sure there are no bits of egg yolk mixed in otherwise the meringue won't whip up properly.
- Cream of tartar - This stabilizes the meringue and helps it keep its stiff peaks. If you don't have any, just omit it.
- Granulated sugar - Superfine sugar is preferable since it has a finer texture and dissolves into the egg whites better but granulated sugar is more commonly accessible.
- Green gel food colouring - Make sure you're using GEL food colouring. Water-based or oil-based food colouring will ruin the consistency of meringue and it will never whip back up to stiff peaks.
- Sprinkles - Keep in mind that some types of sprinkles will melt when baked. I'd recommend using hundreds and thousands (tiny rainbow round sprinkles, also called jimmies) because they will look exactly the same after baking. If you want to add larger sprinkles, you can always add them on after baking with a dot of melted chocolate.
How to make meringue christmas trees
Prep - Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Whip egg whites - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until it becomes frothy like cappuccino foam. Sprinkle in one spoonful of sugar at a time, mixing well in between each addition, until you've added all the sugar. Continue mixing until it becomes stiff peaks.
Add food colouring - Add in a few drops of green gel food colouring and mix again until combined.
Pipe out meringues - Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 3 dollops of meringue on top of each other, with the largest dollop on the bottom and getting smaller at the top. Add sprinkles on top of each meringue.
Bake - Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the sides of the meringues are dry and the bottoms peel cleanly off the parchment paper.
Cool meringues in the oven - Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool overnight or crack the door of the oven open and let cool for about 1 hour. Let cool completely before storing.
Storage
These meringue Christmas trees can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Keep them away from moisture and sunlight.
Tips & tricks
- Clean bowl & mixer free of oil residue. If the bowl and mixer attachment that you're using to beat the egg whites has any leftover traces of oil, the meringue won't whip up properly. Be sure to give them a wipe with a bit of vinegar before you use them even if they look clean.
- Be careful not to get any egg yolk in the egg whites. Even a small amount of yolk will prevent the meringue from whipping up properly to stiff peaks. I'd recommend cracking your eggs into a separate small bowl and separating the egg yolk from the whites by passing it between your two clean hands until the egg whites fall through your fingers. Then, transfer the egg whites to your actual mixing bowl and repeat with the next egg. This way, there's no way the egg shell will accidentally pierce the egg yolk and even if the yolk breaks on one of your eggs, you don't have to restart with ALL your eggs - just replace that one egg that broke.
- Use a gel-based food colouring. Avoid water-based or oil-based food colouring which will prevent the meringue from whipping up to stiff peaks.
- Pipe a larger base for the trees to sit on and don't make them too tall. If the meringues are too tall or have a base that is too small, they'll likely start to lean over.
Frequently asked questions
The key to making meringues that are chewy and marshmallow-y on the inside is to bake at a low temperature for a long time but not TOO long that the meringues bake through completely.
To prevent meringues from cracking, allow them to cool in the warm oven or with the oven door cracked open so that you don't expose them to a sudden change in temperature. Likewise, don't open the oven door during baking as cold air can get in and change the temperature as well.
The meringue is whipped enough when it becomes stiff peaks. When you pull the mixer attachment out of the meringue, the meringue should stand up in peaks with a little curl at the top. You should be able to move the bowl around and turn it upside down without the meringue sliding around in the bowl or moving at all.
More meringue recipes to try
- Heart-Shaped Chocolate Meringues
- Mango Passionfruit Pavlova
- Christmas Pavlova Wreath
- Blackberry Pavlovas
Recipe
Meringue Christmas Trees
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- green gel food colouring
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until it becomes frothy like cappuccino foam.
- Sprinkle in one spoonful of sugar at a time, mixing well in between each addition, until you've added all the sugar. Continue mixing until it becomes stiff peaks.
- Add in a few drops of green gel food colouring and mix again until combined.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe 3 dollops of meringue on top of each other, with the largest dollop on the bottom and getting smaller at the top. Add sprinkles on top of each meringue.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the sides of the meringues are dry and the bottoms peel cleanly off the parchment paper. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool overnight or crack the door of the oven open and let cool for about 1 hour. Let cool completely before storing.
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