3 Ingredient Peppermint Cloud Cookies

These peppermint cloud cookies are soft, light and airy, like eating a cloud. The cookies need just 3 ingredients. They don’t require any flour, dairy, butter or oil. The cookies store well and you can decorate them for gifting or bringing to a party.

These peppermint flavored cloud cookies are such a festive and fun treat. They are also a low fat and low-calorie cookie. The cookies are a meringue style cookie but unlike typical meringue cookies which are crisp all the way through, these cookies have a soft, chewy, airy center. To make them even more festive, I added a little red food coloring to make them look like peppermint candies, but the food coloring is optional. You can also top them with sprinkles.

Ingredients

• Egg whites
• Sugar
• Peppermint extract

Egg whites: Egg whites form the base for these cookies. They will need to be whipped to stiff peaks.

Sugar: I recommend using superfine granulated sugar (also known as Caster sugar) because it does help the cookies cook a little faster and maintain their white color. However, you can make the cookies with regular granular sugar. Just know that the cookies will need a little longer cooking time and be slightly darker in color.

Peppermint extract: I used peppermint extract to give these cookies their peppermint flavor.

How to make Peppermint Cloud Cookies

• The egg whites are first beaten with a mixer until the eggs are foamy. The sugar is then gradually mixed in and the mixture is beaten until stiff peaks form. The peppermint is briefly mixed in.
• Add the meringue into a piping bag to pipe. I also added a few streaks of red food coloring inside the piping bag to give the cookies red swirls. Use an open star piping tip to pip oval shapes onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies at 225F for one hour. Turn off the oven and let the cookies continue to cook in the oven for about 30-60 minutes or until the cookies are done. Let the cookies sit uncovered at room temperature until they develop a soft interior but the exterior remains crispy. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Cookie Texture

These cookies are light, delicate and airy. They have a crisp exterior and a soft, chewy interior. They are a meringue based cookie but unlike classic meringue cookies which are crisp all the way through, these cookies have a soft center.

Expert Tips

• This recipe works best with superfine sugar which is also sometimes called Caster sugar or baker’s sugar. The superfine sugar melts better into the cookie and allows them to cook faster and maintain their white color after they are done baking. The recipe can be made with regular granulated white sugar but the cookies will need longer in the oven and the cookies will be a light tan color rather than white.
• When whipping the meringue, don’t mix at highest speed. Mixing at a lower speed will take longer but will help develop a lighter and better meringue.
• If you don’t have a lot of experience making meringue, you can add cream of tartar to the egg whites. This can help ensure you have a successful meringue.
• Make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are clean before making the meringue. Any oil on the beaters, mixing bowl, or in the egg whites, will prevent the meringue from forming.

More Peppermint Recipes

• 3 Ingredient Peppermint Creams
• 3 Ingredient Peppermint Fudge

3 Ingredient Peppermint Cloud Cookies

Servings: 30 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

These peppermint cloud cookies are a festive and fun dessert. The cookies are light, airy, soft and like eating a cloud. They can be easily decorated and gifted. The cookies need just 3 ingredients and don't require flour, butter, dairy or oil. They are also low fat and low calorie cookies.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites room temperature
• 1/2 cup (96 g) superfine granulated sugar also known as caster sugar or baker's sugar
• 1/8 tsp (0.6 ml) peppermint extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer. If you plan on using cream of tartar, add it at this time. See notes section for more details on adding cream of tartar.
• Using the wire whisk attachment, beat at medium speed until the eggs are foamy and soft peaks are forming, about 2 minutes.
• With the machine still running, slowly add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of it is added. Do not stop the machine to scrape any sugar that might be on the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat until mixture is thick, glossy and stiff peaks form. Once the peaks form, you can scrape the sides of the mixing bowl to get any sugar that stuck to the sides, add it back into the mixture and then beat on high for a few seconds until that excess sugar is incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add the peppermint extract. Beat for only a few seconds just until the extract is incorporated and stiff peaks still remain.
• Fit a large piping bag with an open star tip (I used a Wilton 4B tip).
• Position the bag inside a tall glass, folding the top over the rim for stability. If using red gel food coloring, paint four thin, evenly spaced stripes along the inside of the bag. See note section regarding food coloring. See post for picture reference for how the food coloring should look inside the piping bag.
• Once the bag is prepped, fill it with meringue. Pipe ovals, between 1.5 to 2 inches long, onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them closely since they won’t spread much (for the photo reference I spaced them very far apart but you can space them much closer, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch space between each one). To pipe, draw an oval shape, then add a second layer on top to close the center, ensuring there are no gaps. Try to keep the meringues uniform in size. Once you start piping, you do want to work quickly because the meringue mixture will start to weep if left out too long.
• Wet your finger and press down on the tops to remove the points on the cookies.
• Bake the cookies for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn off the oven, but keep the oven door closed and keep the cookies inside. Let the cookies sit in the oven for an additional 30-60 minutes (you can open the door briefly after 30 minutes to start checking if the cookies are ready). The cookies are done when you can peel them off the parchment paper. You do want to watch them closely during the last 30 minutes that they sit in the oven because you don’t want them to brown. It’s okay if they turn an off white, slight tan color but you don’t want them browned. The cookies may initially be very crisp when they are done. Let them sit out a few hours uncovered at room temperature until the inside is soft and chewy (but the outside stays firm and should not turn sticky).
• Once they reach this stage, they should be transferred to an airtight container. Be sure to store the cookies in an airtight container once the inside of the cookies are soft because otherwise the outside of the cookies will absorb too much moisture and turn sticky as well if they continue to sit out. Uneaten cookies can be kept in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

• Optional Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is sometimes used to help ensure your egg whites form a meringue. If you are not experienced with making meringue, or are used to adding cream of tartar, or are working in a very warm or humid environment, you can add 1/4 tsp tartar to the egg whites. I don't use it when making these cookies, but it does help ensure that you will have a stiff meringue batter.
• Optional red gel food coloring: If you would like to create red swirls like I did for my cookies, add some red food gel food coloring to your piping bag. First, make sure to use gel food coloring and not regular food coloring which is too watery. I used the gel food coloring that comes in tubes and painted streaks of red in the piping bag. If your food coloring doesn't come in a tube you can also take a popsicle stick to help paint it into the bag.
• Regular granular sugar: These cookies work best with superfine sugar (caster sugar) but you can substitute with regular granular sugar. Regular granular sugar will cause the cookies to look more tan when they are finished. They will also need to cook longer. After baking them for an hour in the oven, you will need to turn the oven off but keep the cookies in the oven for an additional hour.
• These are a meringue type of cookie but don't have the same texture as classic meringue cookies. When the cookies are done, they will be crisp on the outside and airy, soft and chewy on the inside.
• I used a Wilton 4B open star tip. (Amazon | Walmart)*
• I used this caster sugar.*
• *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 13kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 0.004g, Sodium: 4mg, Sugar: 3g, NET CARBS: 3

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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