Ingredients
Method
Make the Meringue
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat on low speed until the egg whites are frothy
- Increase speed to high and beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks — they will barely hold their shape and look like a very fine thick foam
- With the mixer still running on high, add the sugar ¼ cup at a time. Add gradually and stop when the meringue comes together — you may not need the full 1¼ cups depending on the size of your egg whites
- Reduce speed to low and stir in the root beer flavoring until fully incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl and beater as needed. Increase speed back to high and beat until the meringue is glossy and holds very stiff peaks — the consistency should resemble marshmallow fluff
Pipe and Bake
- Load the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip, or snip a ½ inch opening in the corner of a large zip-lock bag. Pipe into 1¼ inch stars onto the prepared cookie sheets. They can be placed fairly close together as they will not spread much
- Bake for 45 minutes undisturbed. Do not rotate the pans during baking — rotating may cause cracking
- When the time is up, do NOT open the oven. Turn off the heat and leave the cookies inside to cool completely for at least 30 minutes. Opening the oven too soon causes rapid temperature change which will crack the cookies
- Once fully cooled, peel cookies off the parchment paper or remove with a thin spatula
Notes
Root beer flavoring is strong — ⅛ tsp makes a fairly bold flavor. Start with less if you prefer something more subtle. Add sugar gradually rather than all at once; depending on the size of your egg whites you may need less than the full 1¼ cups. Never open the oven while the cookies are cooling — this is the most common cause of cracking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep away from humidity as meringue cookies will become sticky and soft