Peppermint Meringue Kisses are crunchy on the outside with a soft and chewy middle, and a peppermint flavor that is sweet and refreshing. They are the cutest little candies and are perfect for gifting this holiday season!
Every once in a while, it is really fun to make a unique candy that isn’t super chocolatey. Every Christmas I make the effort to get my kids in the kitchen and make a Christmas candy. Usually we end up making toffee because it’s easy and everyone loves it. My favorites are this tasty graham cracker toffee (with just 5 ingredients!) and this Christmas crack toffee recipe!
Peppermint Meringue Kisses Recipe
Meringue is mostly egg whites that are whipped until they get nice and fluffy. You put it in a piping bag and pipe them into cute kiss-shaped dollops, and bake them in the oven. When you bite into the peppermint meringue kiss, a nice peppermint flavor fills your mouth! The meringue is crunchy on the outside and then melts into a soft and chewy dessert. It’s so fun to eat!
You can pipe meringue in all kinds of different shapes! While you are making these kisses, you could also try to make these peppermint meringue lollipops. You could shape them in a beautiful spiral like these meringue cookies. Meringue goes great with a cup of hot chocolate! It also looks beautiful on your Christmas dessert charcuterie board. There are so many fun ways to make meringue, it doesn’t just belong on top of a lemon meringue pie (but it is super yummy on the pie too!).
Ingredients
You will need a few simple ingredients to make these peppermint meringue lollipops. They are mostly egg whites, so get ready to use lots of eggs! Maybe you could make some creme brulee to use up all of those egg yolks! You can find the exact measurements below in the recipe card.
- Granulated Sugar: Your regular sugar pantry will work great!
- Egg Whites: You will want to separate your egg yolks from whites. You can’t let any part of an egg yolk into your mixture or your meringue won’t turn out!
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is always best, but bottled will work.
- Salt: A little salt will bring out all of the sweet flavors in this dessert.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a little flavor and also helps to bring out the sweet flavors in the meringue.
- Peppermint Extract: This is where the peppermint flavor will come from!
- Red Gel Food Coloring: A little red food coloring is how you will get the stripes of red to make the candy cane design.
How to Make Peppermint Meringue Kisses
You are going to love the fun texture and delicious peppermint flavor when you bite into these lovely peppermint meringue kisses. It is so fun to pipe them and watch the meringue come out a red and white mix. You don’t have to be good at piping to make cute little bites that everyone will love. Don’t be intimidated by meringue, you can totally make this!
Make Meringue
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 200℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Simmer Water: Add 1 inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a slight simmer.
- Whisk: In a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and sugar. Whisk together until combined and place over the simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water.
- Whip: Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly until the mixture reaches 140℉. Remove from the heat and fit on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form.
- Finish Meringue: Add the lemon juice, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. The meringue will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and when the whisk is removed, the peak will stand straight up. This can take a good 10-15 minutes of whipping at high speed. Once the meringue is ready, we will get to making the peppermint meringue kisses!
Pipe Meringue Kisses
- Prep Bags: Prep your piping bags by either snipping the end for round piping or fitting with a large star tip. Use a toothpick to make 3 lines of red food gel coloring going up the inside of the piping bag, this will give the meringue the distinct red stripes of peppermint candies as you pipe it out.
- Fill Bag: Carefully spoon meringue into the piping bag and twist closed at the top, being careful to not overfill the bag (fill ½-⅔ of the way full)
- Prep Parchment: Pipe 4 small dots of meringue under the four corners of the parchment paper and press down. This will prevent the parchment from blowing up and sticking to your meringue pops as they bake.
- Pipe Kisses: Pipe quarter sized dots of meringue, slowing the piping as you lift the bag up, giving the kisses the distinct kiss shape. Leave ½ inch or so between kisses, but fill the baking sheet generously.
- Bake: Bake for 1-½ to 2 hours, until the outsides of the kisses are crisp to the touch.. Turn off the oven and let the pan cool in the oven as it cools. Once the pan is completely cooled to the touch, remove from the oven.
- Store: Gently remove the peppermint meringue kisses from the parchment. Store in an airtight container or serve immediately. Do not refrigerate or leave uncovered otherwise you risk the meringue becoming tacky and weepy.
Tips for Making Meringue
Meringue is such a fun thing to know how to make. It isn’t hard, but there are a few things that you have to know how to do. Here are my tips that will make your peppermint meringue kisses a success every time!
- Don’t Boil Water: Keep the water in the pan at just below simmering. If you let the water boil, you risk cooking the egg whites and ending up with scrambled eggs instead of the beginnings of meringue.
- Use A Thermometer: When cooking the sugar and egg whites, use a thermometer to make sure the mixture reaches 140℉. The sugar will be completely dissolved at that point and the meringue will be very stable for piping and baking.
- Take It Easy On The Peppermint: Peppermint is a very strong flavoring, so it’s easy to add too much and the flavor becomes too much and can taste like toothpaste. If you like it a little less intense in peppermint flavor, start by adding ½ teaspoon instead of the full 1 teaspoon. Taste the meringue and then add a little more as needed. Having the marshmallow flavor of the meringue come through is a nice balance to the strong mint flavor.
Storing Leftover Meringue Kisses
Make sure to follow my tips for storing your peppermint meringue kisses to get the most out of this treat!
- On the Counter: Store your peppermint meringue lollipops in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Do not leave uncovered or refrigerate as the meringue will begin to weep and become very sticky and possibly melt.
Other Peppermint Desserts to Try
Desserts
Peppermint Cheesecake
Desserts
Peppermint Meltaways
Desserts
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Desserts
Homemade Thin Mints
Peppermint Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Red gel food coloring
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 200℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Add 1 inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a slight simmer.
-
In a heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and sugar. Whisk together until combined and place over the simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water.
-
Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly until the mixture reaches 140℉. Remove from the heat and fit on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form.
-
Add the lemon juice, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. The meringue will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and when the whisk is removed, the peak will stand straight up. This can take a good 10-15 minutes of whipping at high speed.
-
Prep your piping bags by either snipping the end for round piping or fitting with a large star tip. Use a toothpick to make 3 lines of red food gel coloring going up the inside of the piping bag, this will give the meringue the distinct red stripes of peppermint candies as you pipe it out.
-
Carefully spoon meringue into the piping bag and twist closed at the top, being careful to not overfill the bag (fill ½-⅔ of the way full)
-
Pipe 4 small dots of meringue under the four corners of the parchment paper and press down. This will prevent the parchment from blowing up and sticking to your meringue pops as they bake.
-
Pipe quarter sized dots of meringue, slowing the piping as you lift the bag up, giving the kisses the distinct kiss shape. Leave ½ inch or so between kisses, but fill the baking sheet generously.
-
Bake for 1-½ to 2 hours, until the outsides of the kisses are crisp to the touch.. Turn off the oven and let the pan cool in the oven as it cools. Once the pan is completely cooled to the touch, remove from the oven.
-
Gently remove the kisses from the parchment, Store in an airtight container or serve immediately. Do not refrigerate or leave uncovered otherwise you risk the meringue becoming tacky and weepy.
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