Santa Meringues

These delicious Santa meringues are the perfect holiday treat! They’re light, airy, and perfectly crunchy with chewy centers.

How Many Santa Meringues Does This Recipe Make?

The yield can vary a lot based on how large you pipe each Santa and what piping tip you use. Mine ended up being about 2.5 inches, and I was able to make 40 Santas.

How To Store These Meringue Santas

To keep these meringues from becoming sticky, make sure they’re completely dried out and cooled before storing, then place them in an airtight container at room temperature away from any humidity or heat.

Even a little moisture in the air will cause them to soften and feel tacky, so completely avoid the fridge or freezer! It’ll just add condensation.

For extra protection, tuck a food-grade silica gel packet (labeled “non-toxic” or “food safe”) or a tablespoon of uncooked rice wrapped in a paper towel inside the container to absorb any excess moisture.

When properly dried and stored, meringue cookies can stay light and crisp for up to two weeks.

Tips for Making the Best Meringue Santas

• Note that with the total bake and cool time, these need to bake for 90 minutes + cool in the oven for 60 minutes minimum (or overnight for best results). I like to make these at the end of the day, so it doesn’t get in the way of any other baking/cooking I need the oven for.
• Separate your eggs while they’re still cold! While we want the egg whites to be room temperature when we whip them up, it’s easiest to separate them when they’re still cold.
• Use gel food coloring to color the meringue. If you try to use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency and cause the meringue to be less stable.
• Beat the meringue on a medium-high speed instead of the highest speed. This will help you create a more stable meringue with smaller air bubbles that will be easier to pipe.
• Bake time can vary based on how large you pipe the meringues and what piping tip you use. After they’ve baked and cooled in the oven, test them for doneness by gently trying to peel one off the baking mat or parchment paper. It should peel off cleanly.
• If you make these in advance and they get sticky or soft, don’t worry! Pop them in a 200°F oven for 10–15 minutes, then let them cool completely in the turned-off oven. They’ll crisp right back up.

How to Make These Santa Meringues: Step-by-Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful! Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

I’ve also included a video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Preheat the Oven & Make the Meringue

Preheat the oven to 200°F/93°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.

Before you whip up the meringue, make sure there are no traces of grease on the whisk attachment or in your bowl.

Grease can prevent the meringue from whipping up properly. If you see or feel any grease, moisten a paper towel with vinegar and wipe the inside of the bowl and the whisk attachment to remove any grease.

Then add 4 large egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles.

Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage and leaves visible tracks.

Gradually mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, into the egg whites over a few minutes while mixing on a medium-low speed.

When the meringue gets close to reaching stiff peaks, add 1/2 tsp of vanilla or almond extract. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Step 2: Color the Meringue

Scoop about half of the uncolored meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 5). If you don’t have a piping tip that size, cut an opening at the base of the bag that’s 1/2 cm wide. Seal the top of the bag with a clip or rubber band.

Then, scoop about 2 Tbsp of the uncolored meringue into a small piping bag fitted with a very small round piping tip (like a Wilton 1 or 2). If you don’t have a piping tip that size, cut an opening at the base of the bag that’s 1/4 cm wide. This is to make Santa’s eyebrows. Seal the top of the bag with a clip or rubber band.

Scoop about 2/3 of the remaining meringue into a separate bowl and color it a light tan color with a squirt of yellow and brown gel food coloring. Fold the food coloring into the meringue gently, and mix just until it’s evenly colored. If you overmix the meringue, it will lose some of its structure and be more difficult to pipe. Scoop it into a large piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 5). If you don’t have a piping tip that size, cut an opening at the base of the bag that’s 1/2 cm wide. Seal the top of the bag with a clip or rubber band.

Scoop 2 Tbsp of merinue into a separate bowl and color it black with a squirt of black gel food coloring. Scoop it into a small piping bag fitted with a very small round piping tip (like a Wilton 1 or 2).

Color the remaining meringue red with a generous squirt of gel food coloring. Scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 10).

Step 3: Pipe the Meringues

Immediately pipe the Santa once the meringue is colored. The meringue loses its structure as it sits, so you want to pipe these right away.

Start by piping an oval to be Santa’s face. Then use the red meringue to pipe his hat, and the white meringue to add a trim around his hat.

Then use the large bag of white meringue to pipe Santa’s beard and mustache. Use the skin-toned meringue to pipe his nose, and the black meringue to pipe eyes.

Use the small bag of white meringue to pipe eyebrows. You can also add white nonpareils to the eyes if you want them to have a bit more dimension.

Smooth out any points of the meringue with a scribe or toothpick. These don’t spread as they bake, so they can be piped about 1 inch apart.

Step 4: Bake & Gradually Cool the Meringues

Bake the tray on the middle rack of your oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the meringue sit in the oven for another hour.

You can also leave them in the oven overnight once you turn the oven off. Letting them gradually cool helps prevent them from cracking.

At this point, the meringue should be fully cooked and look and feel dry to the touch. If they still seem wet or moist, leave them in the oven for another hour.

Remove the tray from the oven. They should have a crunchy exterior and a soft, chewy center. Let the meringues cool fully to room temperature, then enjoy!

These can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

Avoid refrigerating them! It will make them soft and sticky. 

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for meringue Santas, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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