Peppermint Meringues

If you’re looking for a healthy cookie recipe this holiday season, these peppermint meringues have a leg up since the main ingredient has zero calories: air! They’re made simply of egg whites and sugar whipped with air until they become a fluffy cloud of goodness. And at about 15 calories a pop, they’re one of the lightest cookie recipes we’ve made. Each holiday season, Alex and I develop a few sweets that are on the lighter side but are just as delicious as their heavier counterparts. It can be difficult to strike a balance with sugar in the holiday season, so our coping mechanisms are simple: focus on homemade recipes with real ingredients, and eat in moderation when possible. While these peppermint meringues seem light and carefree, they do take a bit of concentration to pull off. It took us a failed batch to realize the importance painting neat lines into the bottom of a pastry bag (paint them up too far and half of the batch is white; paint them too messy and the red isn’t dark enough). If you’re up for the challenge, make sure you have a paintbrush, pastry bag, and some red gel food coloring. With a steady hand, they’re a fun holiday challenge. What are your favorite healthy-ish holiday treats? We’d love to hear in the comments! A few of our “lighter” takes are below.

Bliss Bites (Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies) Chewy Gluten-Free Skillet Almond Flour Cookie Soft Gingerbread Cookies Chai Spiced Snowball Cookies Ginger Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches The Best Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle Cherry Quinoa Chocolate Bark Narwhal Gingerbread Cutout Cookies Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Clusters Easy Peppermint Bark