Christmas Meringue Cookies

Each one has a cause. Beads of syrup on the surface mean the sugar never dissolved, so rub a bit of meringue between two fingers before piping and keep whipping until it feels smooth. Sticky means humidity or an underbaked middle, which is why meringues are a dry-day project. Cracks come from an oven that is too hot or a tray that cooled too fast. Bake low, 200 to 225 F, then turn the oven off and let them cool inside with the door cracked.

Yes, and our own meringue cookie recipe is built that way. Two teaspoons of Meringue Powder whisked into two tablespoons of water stands in for one egg white, then you whip it with sugar as usual. The upside is consistency: no leftover yolks, no raw egg on the counter, and a meringue that measures the same every time. The baked texture is the same crisp shell and light middle.

Paint, do not stir. Brush three or four stripes of red gel color up the inside of the piping bag, fill it with plain meringue, and the stripes come out on the kisses by themselves. If you want the whole batch tinted, fold in gel color a drop at a time at the very end. Liquid color adds water and loosens the foam, so leave it in the drawer. For color on the outside, press Naturally-Colored Sanding Sugar in red or green onto the piped kisses before they go in the oven.

About two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, which makes them the earliest cookie you can bake for a Christmas box. Keep them out of the fridge, where the humidity turns them sticky in a day. For longer, freeze them in an airtight container and let them thaw in the sealed container so condensation lands on the lid instead of the cookies.

They should feel dry and papery on the outside, lift cleanly off the parchment, and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. At 200 to 225 F that takes one to two hours depending on size, and they should stay white rather than take on color. Then turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave them for another hour or overnight. That slow cool is what dries the center without cracking the shell.

The meringue itself is egg whites and sugar, with no flour anywhere in it, which is why it fills the gap in a cookie box so neatly. Read the labels on mix-ins like crushed candy, chocolate chips and extracts, since those are where wheat sneaks in, and if you are baking for someone with a serious sensitivity, use a clean bowl and a fresh sheet of parchment.