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Mermaid Tail Meringue Cookies |Step-by-Step|

I hope mermaid desserts always stay in style. Whether you are planning a birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower or sleepover party – these light and airy pastel-colored Meringue Tail Meringue Cookies bring childhood fantasies and fairy tales to life.

Pink, purple and teal meringue cookie pops on pink background.

MERMAID TAIL MERINGUE COOKIE POPS RECIPE

Gluten-free meringue cookie pops are easy to make. Follow my step-by-step tutorial on how to make glittering mermaid tail meringue cookies.

Close of up baked meringue cookie pop.

THINGS YOU NEED

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INGREDIENTS

  • Egg Whites
  • Sugar
  • Cream of tartar or lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
  • Vanilla Extract

PREPARE MERINGUE

First, you need to prepare the meringue. Heat the sugar and egg whites over a pot of simmering water to dissolve the sugar granules. The soapy mixture is then beaten into stiff peaks using a wire beater (step 1). After, the stiff meringue is divided and colored with gel food colors (step 2).

Colored meringue in small bowls.

HOW TO COLOR MERINGUE

  • To color meringue, I use concentrated gel food colors – teal, regal purple, and electric pink (step 1).
  • First, I smear the gel color across the top (step 2).
  • And then, I carefully fold the color into the white meringue.
  • To get more depth and dimension, I didn’t fold the color into the meringue homogeneously; I kept it marbled with streaks of white.
  • White meringue creates highlights that add depth to the piped fluke and mermaid’s body (steps 3-6).
Small bowl with meringue. Spatula folding color into the meringue.

PREPARE PIPING BAGS

To pipe mermaid tails, I used 2 piping tips: star piping tip #21, and for the mermaid’s body I used petal tip #103, or you can use petal tip #104.

  • Fit a large piping bag with a star piping tip and fill it with teal-colored meringue (steps 1-3).
  • Fill a piping bag fitted with a petal tip with pink and purple meringue, alternating colors (steps 4-6).
Tall yellow cup with a piping bag, meringue inside of the bag.

HOW TO PIPE MERMAID TAIL MERINGUE COOKIES

Have a mermaid tail template ready, place it on a baking sheet, and layer a piece of parchment on top. Pipe a straight vertical line with teal meringue across the middle of each mermaid tail (steps 1-2). Gently push a lollipop stick into the meringue (step 3). Pipe the fluke with teal meringue, pipe 6 strokes, 3 on each side (steps 4-8).

Piping a mermaid tail with meringue onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Pipe the mermaid’s body with a piping bag with a petal tip filled with purple-pink meringue. Hold the piping bag with the narrow end of the petal tip facing the fluke. Move the piping bag back and forth to create a ruffled look. To achieve a shimmery finish on the meringue, use gold luster dust from a pump and spray it onto freshly piped mermaid tails (steps 6-8).

Piping meringue onto the baking sheet lined with parchment.

BAKE MERINGUE COOKIES

Pipe as many mermaid tails onto a baking sheet as possible. Before putting the baking sheet into the oven, remove the template from underneath the parchment.

  • Bake meringue cookies at 175°F (80 °C) for 3-4 hours.
  • Turn off the oven and let the cookies cool in the oven for about 1-2 hours.
  • Meringue cookies are usually not hard and crispy right after baking. They need to cool off for a bit to harden and become crispy. Cookies get crispier and harder as they cool.
Baked meringue cookies on a baking sheet lined with brown parchment paper.

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Cookies are baked until they lift easily from the parchment in one piece. Sometimes, when they are not fully baked, the base will stick to the parchment.

Hands holding meringue cookie pops.

HOW TO STORE MERINGUE COOKIES

Keep baked meringue cookies away from moisture. Store or package cookies immediately in clear poly bags or an airtight container. When storing them in an airtight container, I add food-grade silica gel packets or a small bowl with raw rice to keep the meringue cookies crisp.

Airtight container with baked meringue cookies and a bowl of raw rice.

MERINGUE COOKIES SUCCESS TIPS

Weeping

Causes: overbeating the meringue or underbaking the cookies.
Remedy: add more sugar or add 1 to 2tbsp cornstarch to the meringue at the last stage of mixing. It stabilizes the meringue.

Cracks

Causes: meringue beaten at very high speed. Or the meringue was baked at a high temperature.
Remedy: beat the meringue at medium-high speed, lower the baking temperature, and increase baking time.

Beading

Causes: this can happen when the sugar in the meringue is not completely dissolved, when the meringue is baked at a high temperature, or when it is baked for too long.
Remedy: Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Lower the oven temperature.

Chewy Texture

Causes: high baking temperature, underbaked meringues – not baked for long enough.
Remedy: adjust the oven temperature.

Overbrowning

Causes: dark baking sheet, high baking temperature.
Remedy: use a light-colored baking sheet, a lower temperature, and adjust baking time.

Meringue is not stiff

Have you added an acidic ingredient? -I always add cream of tartar, lemon juice, or white distilled vinegar as it loosens tight protein chains in the egg white, allowing you to beat in more air and making the meringue more stable.
Mixing speed: -Beat the meringue at low speed at first, then increase the speed to medium-high. Don’t beat the meringue at the highest speed setting.
It can take 10 minutes with a stand mixer to reach a stiff peak. Be patient.
Grease – Maybe fat has gotten into the egg-white mixture? Wipe the tools with vinegar before mixing the meringue.

MORE MERINGUE DESSERTS

Baked meringue cookie pops displayed on pink background.

Mermaid Tail Meringue Cookies

This recipe makes about 12 mermaid tail cookies.
Serving size: 1 cookie
Course Candy, Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American, French
Keyword meringue cookie pops, mermaid cookies, mermaid meringue cookies, mermaid tail cookies, mermaid tail meringue cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 12 servings
Author Hani

Equipment

  • handheld or stand Mixer
  • Piping bags
  • mixing bowls
  • baking sheet
  • spatula
  • piping tips: star#21, petal tip #103 or #104
  • lollipop sticks
  • gel food colors: teal, electric pink, purple

Ingredients

  • 4 egg whites (120 grams)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Meringue

  • Into a heat-proof bowl pour egg whites (4 large egg whites,120 grams), granulated sugar (1 cup, 200 grams), cream of tartar, or lemon juice (1 teaspoon).
    Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar until all of the sugar is dissolved about 5 minutes.
    TIP: Rub the mixture between your fingers to check if the sugar is dissolved.
  • Secure the bowl onto your stand mixer and beat the egg white mixture with wire beaters. Start at low speed, then gradually increase to medium-high. Don't beat meringue at high speed.
  • When medium stiff peaks are formed add Vanilla Extract (1tsp) and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. When the peak doesn’t fall down or bend you are ready to go.

Color Meringue

  • Divide stiff meringue into three bowls—color meringue with pink, purple, and teal gel food colors. Carefully fold the gel food color into the meringue so it doesn't deflate too much.

Piping Tips

  • To pipe the mermaid tail, use star tip #21 and petal tip #103.
    Fit a large piping bag with a star tip and fill it with teal-colored meringue. Fit the second piping bag with a petal tip and fill with purple and pink, alternating colors.

Pipe Mermaid Tail Meringue Cookie Pops

  • Place the mermaid tail template onto the baking sheet. Layer parchment or a silicone mat on top. Pipe a straight line with teal meringue vertically and across at least half of the mermaid's tail. Press the lollipop stick into the meringue.
    First, pipe the fluke with teal meringue (star piping tip), and then pipe the body with pink-purple meringue (petal piping tip).

Bake Mermaid Tail Meringue Cookies

  • Bake meringue cookies at 175F for 3-4 hours, turn off the oven, and leave the cookies until the oven cools.

Notes

  • How to Store Meringue Cookies? Store in an airtight container. To remedy humidity, add food grade silica gel packet or raw white rice to the container.
  • Can I Freeze Meringue Cookies? You can freeze meringue cookies, in an airtight container, layered between parchment for up to 3 months. Let cookies defrost on the counter for several hours. Don’t open the container during this time.
A woman holding a meringue cookie pop in front of her face.

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2 Comments

  1. These are adorable, what a cute idea! I like the tip of adding rice to a container to keep them crisp, that would make it easy to make a couple of days in advance

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