These coffee Nutella meringue cookies are a tasty lighter cookie recipe. Creamy Nutella is sandwiched between light, crispy, coffee-infused meringue cookies!
Meringue cookies are one of my favorites purely for their perfectly crispy outsides and chewy, delicious insides! Lemon meringue pie bites and swirled raspberry meringue nests are two delicious options, but these coffee Nutella meringue cookies are almost impossible to beat!
Coffee and Nutella are a match made in heaven, and these cookies are bound to disappear quickly!
Meringues can be finicky to make, but I'm sharing tons of tips so you can nail them on your first try.
Reasons you'll ♡ coffee Nutella meringue cookies
- they are gluten-free and lighter in calories than a traditional cookie
- you can prep them ahead and assemble when you serve
- coffee + Nutella are so good together!
Making the meringue cookies
These meringue cookies have four simple ingredients: egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and espresso powder. While the ingredients are simple, it's important to pay attention to the details when making the cookies. Here's how to make them:
1. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, room temperature eggs, and a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks appear. This means that when you lift the whisk, the peaks will slowly sink back into the bowl (taking around a minute to sink fully back in).
2. Add cream of tartar
The cream of tartar really helps stabilize the egg whites in this recipe. I have successfully made meringue cookies without it, but highly recommend using it if you can find it. After adding the cream of tartar, continue whisking the eggs on high speed for another minute.
3. Add the sugar 1 spoonful at a time
At this point, we are ready to start adding the sugar to the meringue cookies. Use granulated sugar for this recipe, and don't swap for alternative or natural sweeteners. The sugar is absolutely crucial in maintaining the structure of the meringue, so it's important to not mess with this ingredient.
Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing it to mix in fully before adding more. Scrape down the sides as needed, and continue beating until you can't feel the sugar granules when you run the mixture between your fingers.
Peaks should be stiff by now, meaning that when you lift the whisk from the stand mixer, the peaks do not sink back into the bowl.
4. Carefully fold in the espresso powder
The last step is to fold in the espresso powder. You worked hard to get perfect, fluffy meringue, so go carefully and use a spatula to gently fold it in.
5. Form meringue cookies
For the cookies pictured in this post, I've used a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip to create the rose-shaped cookies. Start in the middle and work your way around until you get 1.5-2 inch 'roses'.
Alternatively, you can simply mound the meringue into a 1.5-2 inch circle on your parchment- lined pan.
6. Bake
For this recipe, we start by baking the meringue cookies at 300°F for 15 minutes. We then reduce the temperature to 200°F and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. Cool with the door open
This sounds strange, but helps to dry the cookies out, giving that crispy crunch. After baking through, turn the oven off, open the oven door, and leave the cookies in the oven.
Meringue tips
Meringues can sometimes give people troubles...myself included. I'm sharing my mistakes with you so you can nail these meringue cookies on the first try!
- start with a clean, dry bowl- moisture in the bowl, soap residue and fat residue in your bowl can all hinder the formation of peaks when beating the egg whites
- use room temperature eggs- cold eggs may have a harder time forming soft and stiff peaks. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge each egg in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes
- add sugar slowly- adding it too quickly could deflate the meringue
- if you can't find cream of tartar, try adding a pinch of salt instead
Storing meringue cookies
Once sandwich cookies are assembled, they should be eaten quickly- within the hour. However you can prepare the cookies ahead of time.
- cool completely before storing in a *dry* container
- leave the lid ajar to keep them crispy
- store for up to 1 week at room temperature
- if meringue cookies become chewy, try putting them back into the oven at 200°F for another 10 minutes
More tasty desserts
- Salted Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwich Cookies
- Creamy Chocolate Dessert Hummus
- Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Healthy Lemon Blueberry Bread
Coffee Nutella Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
Coffee Meringues
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar (200 g; see *note)
- 3 teaspoons espresso powder
Assembly
- ½ cup Nutella
Instructions
Coffee Meringues
- Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
- Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy and form soft peaks (ie: sink back into the bowl), around one minute on high.
- Add the cream of tartar, and mix on high for 1 more minute.
- Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time over the course of 5 more minutes. Peaks should be stiff by now (ie: don't sink back down into the bowl).
- Scrape sides of bowl and mix until sugar is dissolved into the egg whites.
- Add the espresso powder, and mix for another minute or so, until espresso powder has dissolved.
- Using an incing bag fitted with a 1M tip, form 1.5-2 inch circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 300°F, then reduce temperature to 200°F and bake for another 15 minutes.
- At this point, turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Allow meringues to cool in the oven for another 30 minutes-1 hour. Meringues should not stick to the parchment.
Notes
- start with a clean, dry bowl
- use room temperature eggs- To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge each egg in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes
- add sugar slowly
- if you can’t find cream of tartar, try adding a pinch of salt instead
- cool completely before storing in a *dry* container
- leave the lid ajar to keep them crispy
- store for up to 1 week at room temperature
- if meringue cookies become chewy, try putting them back into the oven at 200°F for another 10 minutes
