These brown sugar maple meringue cookies are two cookies in one: a small brown sugar butter cookie on the bottom and a tall swirl of maple Swiss meringue on top, dried in a 250°F oven until crisp. One batch makes about 20 cookies. Plan on about 2 hours 10 minutes, mostly hands off.
The step that matters most is heating the egg whites with both sugars to 160°F before you whip them. Brown sugar is slow to dissolve, and any grains left in the whites turn into sticky syrup beads in the oven. Want the same flavors without the meringue? My maple brown sugar crinkle cookies are soft, chewy and rolled in powdered sugar instead.
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- Yield: about 20 cookies, from level tablespoons of dough
- Cookie base: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 egg and 1 cup flour, baked 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F
- Meringue: 4 egg whites, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup light brown sugar, heated to 160°F, then whipped 7 to 9 minutes
- Drying bake: 45 to 60 minutes at 250°F, then 30 minutes in the switched-off oven with the door ajar
- Keeps: up to 5 days in an airtight tin at room temperature
- Leftovers: 4 egg yolks, handy for lemon curd, custard or an ice cream base
Mixing the Brown Sugar Butter Cookie Base
Beat the soft butter with the packed light brown sugar for about 2 minutes, until it turns a shade paler and looks fluffy rather than wet. Add the egg, vanilla and the 1/4 teaspoon of maple extract. Light brown sugar is the right choice; dark brown sugar brings more molasses, which competes with the maple.
Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, then mix them in just until no dry streaks remain. The dough is soft and a little sticky. Butter gives the base its tender, sandy bite and holds its shape, so oil is not a swap that works here.
Scoop level tablespoons onto a lined sheet, 2 inches apart, and press each one down slightly with your fingertips. A flat top gives the swirl a level place to sit; on a domed cookie the meringue slides. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just golden.
I lean toward 8 minutes. The bases go back in the oven for almost an hour under the meringue and keep baking a little the whole time. Cool them completely on a rack. A warm base melts the bottom of the swirl and leaves a greasy ring.
Swiss Maple Meringue Over Simmering Water
Set a clean, grease-free bowl over a pan holding 1 to 2 inches of simmering water, without the bowl touching the water. Add the 4 room temperature egg whites, the granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup brown sugar, the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Whisk constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, until a thermometer reads 160°F.
No thermometer? Rub a drop between two fingers. If you feel any grit, keep whisking. The mixture turns slightly beige as the brown sugar melts, which is normal.
Take the bowl off the heat and whip on high for 7 to 9 minutes. You want stiff, glossy peaks that hold a point with a slight curl at the tip, and a bowl that feels close to room temperature on the outside. Then add the maple and mix for just a few seconds. It is the same base as my Swiss meringue buttercream, only here it dries in the oven instead of meeting butter.
Maple Syrup or Maple Extract in the Meringue?
The recipe card gives you a choice: 1 teaspoon of maple syrup or 1 teaspoon of maple extract. A teaspoon of syrup is too little to thin four whipped egg whites, but it is also too little to taste much against 1 1/4 cups of sugar. It comes through as a soft caramel note.
Extract is what makes the swirl taste clearly of maple. My pick is extract in the meringue and real syrup on the plate for drizzling. Stop at 1 teaspoon of extract, because more turns bitter and artificial fast. For a stronger maple hit without any extra liquid, sprinkle a little maple sugar over the swirls just before they go in the oven.
Piping the Swirls and the 250°F Drying Bake
Lower the oven to 250°F; propping the door open for a few minutes gets it down faster after the 350°F bake. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a large star tip and pipe from the center of each cookie outward until the whole top is covered, then lift off to leave a peak. Pipe right away. Meringue that waits 20 minutes in the bowl loses air and pipes with soft, blurry ridges.
Bake 45 to 60 minutes. This is drying, not browning. The meringue will have a light ivory tint from the brown sugar, and that is fine, but it should not go tan. Touch one at 45 minutes. It is ready when it feels dry and lifts off your fingertip cleanly.
Then turn the oven off, open the door a crack and leave the cookies inside for 30 minutes. Cooling slowly keeps the swirls from cracking. If your oven runs hot and the ridges color before the 45 minute mark, drop it to 225°F and give them a little longer.
Weeping, Sticky or Slumped Meringue Tops
- Beads of syrup on the surface: the sugar did not fully dissolve over the water. Heat longer next time, until no grit remains.
- Sticky or chewy once cool: underdried, or a humid day. Put them back in a 250°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then cool in the oven again.
- Swirls slumped in the oven: the whites were under-whipped, or a trace of yolk or grease got into the bowl. Wipe the bowl and whisk with a little lemon juice before you start, and whip until the peak stands.
- Cracked or tan tops: the oven ran too hot. Check it with an oven thermometer.
- Soft, greasy base under the meringue: the cookies were still warm when you piped.
Keeping the Meringue Crisp for Up to 5 Days
Store the cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 5 days, with parchment between layers so the swirls do not crush each other. Brown sugar pulls moisture from the air more readily than white sugar, so on a damp day these soften sooner than plain meringues. Keep them out of the fridge. It makes meringue sticky.
To get ahead, freeze the plain cookie bases rather than the finished cookies. Bake, cool and freeze them in a sealed bag, thaw at room temperature, then whip, pipe and dry the meringue on the day.
Brown Sugar Meringue Cookies Without the Cookie Base
If you came looking for plain brown sugar meringue cookies, the meringue half of this recipe works on its own. Pipe small swirls straight onto a parchment-lined sheet and dry them at 250°F the same way, finishing with 30 minutes in the switched-off oven. With no cookie underneath they dry faster, so start checking well before 45 minutes. For more piped meringue ideas, see my Christmas meringue cookies and lemon meringues.
Chai Spice, Chocolate Chip and Maple Sugar Twists
Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or chai spice to the cookie base for warmth, or press a few mini chocolate chips into the dough before baking. Two cookies sandwiched with whipped cream turn soft within an hour, more like a little cake, so assemble those right before serving.
Serve them with black tea, beside vanilla ice cream, or with something tart such as roasted cranberries or stewed apples. For other brown sugar and maple bakes on the same tray, brown sugar maple shortbread cookies are crisp and buttery all the way through, maple brown sugar thumbprint cookies hold a little filling, and brown sugar maple cookies are soft with a maple glaze.
Meringue-Topped Cookie Answers
Why heat the egg whites before whipping?
Heating the whites with the sugar to 160°F dissolves the brown sugar completely and gives a dense, stable meringue that dries evenly without weeping.
Can I use dark brown sugar in the meringue?
Stick with light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar adds more molasses, which makes the meringue softer, darker and quicker to turn sticky.
What can I use instead of cream of tartar?
Use about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in place of the 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. The acid steadies the whipped whites the same way.
Brown Sugar Maple Meringue Cookies
This brown sugar maple meringue cookies recipe makes small brown sugar butter cookies topped with a tall swirl of maple Swiss meringue, made with light brown sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and maple extract or syrup. One batch gives about 20 cookies in about 2 hours 10 minutes, with a tender, sandy base and a crisp, airy top. The egg whites are heated with both sugars to 160°F before whipping, so the brown sugar dissolves and the meringue dries without weeping. Serve these maple meringue cookies on a Thanksgiving dessert tray, in holiday cookie boxes or with coffee and tea. Add chai spice to the base for a twist, and store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BROWN SUGAR COOKIE BASE:
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp maple extract (optional, but recommended)
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- FOR THE MAPLE MERINGUE TOPPING:
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp maple syrup or maple extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and maple extract (if using), mixing until fully combined.
- ADD DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
- SHAPE AND BAKE: Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each with your fingertips or the back of a spoon. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack before topping with meringue.
- PREPARE THE DOUBLE BOILER: Fill a saucepan with 1–2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. In a clean, grease-free mixing bowl that fits over the pan without touching the water, combine the egg whites, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt.
- HEAT THE MERINGUE BASE: Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°F (70°C), about 4–5 minutes.
- WHIP TO STIFF PEAKS: Remove the bowl from heat. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on high speed for 7–9 minutes until stiff peaks form and the meringue is glossy. Add maple syrup or maple extract and mix briefly to combine.
- PIPE THE MERINGUE: Preheat oven again to 250°F (120°C). Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls of meringue onto each cooled cookie base, making sure to cover the entire surface.
- BAKE TO DRY: Bake the meringue-topped cookies for 45–60 minutes, or until the meringue feels dry to the touch but remains white. Do not let the meringue brown.
- COOL COMPLETELY: Turn off the oven and leave the cookies inside with the door slightly open for 30 minutes to finish drying. Once fully cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Bake the cookie bases on the short side, about 8 minutes, because they keep baking under the meringue. Cool them completely before piping. Heat the egg whites and sugars until no grit remains (160°F), and pipe the meringue right after whipping. Use no more than 1 teaspoon maple extract. The meringue should dry to pale ivory and lift cleanly from your fingertip; if it starts to tan, lower the oven to 225°F. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days and do not refrigerate. On humid days, re-crisp at 250°F for 10 to 15 minutes. The plain cookie bases can be frozen; thaw, then pipe and dry the meringue on the day.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 195Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 60mgSodium 105mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 0gSugar 22gProtein 3g
