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Meringue Shell Cookies have a crisp ribbon of meringue and soft crumbly center. Rakushki is the Russian word for “shells” and they do look like little shells with a treasure inside – the walnuts! These meringue cookies are lightly sweet and made perfect with a dusting of powdered sugar which makes them look and taste irresistible.
Each walnut meringue cookie is hand crafted so no two are exactly the same. These are charming and completely worth making. They take a little time because it turns out a big batch (60 cookies!), but the process is easy and therapeutic. Don’t let the number of cookies scare you off because they disappear quickly and are perfect for holiday gifting and munching (plus you can make them a few days ahead).
This is a treasure of a recipe and it comes from Tanya M., a friend from church who is known for these tasty cookies. Thanks Tanya!!
Watch How to Make Meringue Shell Cookies:
I’m confident these will become a new favorite cookie for many of you. They are that good! If you make these for Christmas, tag me on Instagram or Facebook to let me know. I would love to see all your pretty cookies.
Ingredients for Shell Cookie Dough:
1 cup (16 Tbsp or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
3 egg yolks, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315 grams) *measured correctly
For the Meringue Cookie Filling:
3 egg whites, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces (3 pieces per cookie)
*To measure flour correctly, spoon flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup and level off the top with the blunt edge of knife.
*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly
How to Make Cookie Dough:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line a 3/4 baking sheet with parchment (or use 2 regular baking sheets)
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together: 16 Tbsp butter, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sour cream and mix medium/low speed just until combined. It won’t be smooth and that’s ok.
2. Add 2 cups flour and add the last 1/2 cup slowly just until the dough is no longer sticking to your fingertips. When dough is ready, turn it out onto floured work surface then wash and dry your mixing bowl and make your meringue.
How to Make Meringue Cookie Filling:
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat 3 room temperature egg whites on high speed 1 minute until thick and foamy. With the mixer on, slowly and gradually add 3/4 cup sugar. Once the sugar is all in, continue beating on high speed for 5 minutes or until the meringue forms stiff peaks when you slowly pull up the whisk.
Tanya’s tip: When you insert and push a spoon through the meringue, it should feel firm.
How to Assemble Meringue Shell Cookies:
1. While meringue is mixing, divide cookie dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a log. Cut each log into 15 equal pieces and roll them into balls between your hands. Roll each ball with a rolling pin into a 2″ diameter circle.
2. Dollop a teaspoon of meringue into the center of each rolled cookie then fold the cookie in half and in half again then lay it on it’s side on the lined baking sheet. Space cookies at least 1/2″ apart.
3. Stuff 3 walnut pieces into the meringue of each cookie then bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before dusting with powdered sugar.
Meringue shell cookies are so magical and pretty this time of year! Looking for more Christmas cookie ideas? Find all of our favorite cookies here.
Meringue Shell Cookies (Rakushki)
Ingredients
For The Shell Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (16 Tbsp or 226 grams)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 315 grams *measured correctly
For the Meringue Cookie Filling:
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces, 3 pieces per cookie
Instructions
How to Make the Cookie Dough:
- !Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line a 3/4 baking sheet with parchment (or 2 regular half sheets)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add: 16 Tbsp butter, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sour cream and mix medium/low speed just until combined. It won't be smooth.
- Add 2 cups flour and add the last 1/2 cup slowly just until dough is no longer sticking to clean fingertips. When dough is ready, turn it out onto floured work surface then wash and dry your mixing bowl and make your meringue:
How to Make Meringue Cookie Filling:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat 3 room temperature egg whites on high speed 1 minute until thick and foamy. With the mixer on, slowly and gradually add 3/4 cup sugar. Once sugar is all in, continue beating on high for 5 min or until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
How to Assemble Meringue Shell Cookies:
- While meringue is mixing, divide cookie dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a log. Cut each log into 15 equal pieces and roll them into balls between your hands. Roll each ball with a rolling pin into a 2" diameter circle.
- Dollop a teaspoon of meringue into the center of each round then fold the cookie n half and in half again and lay it on it's side on the lined baking sheet. Space cookies at least 1/2" apart.
- Stuff 3 walnut pieces into the meringue of each cookie then bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool to room temp before dusting with powdered sugar.
Notes
**Nutrition label shows values per cookie (1 batch makes 60 cookies)
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
We had our Christmas music going making these with the “help” of my 2 1/2 year old. She was so eager to roll some of that dough. Her cookies didn’t resemble shells, but everyone starts somewhere lol.
Do you have any Christmas traditions that happen every year? I’d love to hear all about it in a comment below!
P.S. If you’re up for trying something new, these meringue cookies won’t disappoint. Have a beautiful Christmas season, my friends.
Loads of Love,
Natasha
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
They aren’t very pretty but, the are spectacular! I will be making them again but this time I will make them prettier 😍
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I really really would love to make these as thos seem to be a perfect dessert idea after i made your tiramisu cake. Will this somewhat work to be gluten free by using a gluten free flour?
Thanks,
Jc
Hi JC, I haven’t tested this with gluten-free substitutions, but one of our readers wrote a successful attempt. I haven’t tested that. I would love to know how you like that if you experiment.
Hi Natasha !!!! You are amazing cook !!! Those cookies are absolutely beautiful I made them many times !!! Also I made lots of your salads and desert ( rogalyki one of the best ) thanks a lot for your lovely website , I share with my friends and they also love it !!! God bless you
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
What a delight! These cookies are just excellent. I made them for the first time and everything came out perfect. Hand mixer worked very well for me. I did not put them in air tight container so over night they became less crispy but not a tiny bit less tasty. Just a bit different. My family cannot wait for me to try to make your other recipes. So far I made Bird’s milk jello cake and Tiramisu. All these are now our family favorite. Thanks a lot for your great spirit and imagination.
I love that you’ve made so many of our recipes! That’s so great! Thank you for that awesome feedback Neta!
This is the best cookies I ever done. I love meringue… Tks
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Yum! I love how crumbly the cookie comes out.. is there a name for that type of cookie dough? I’m trying to find a cookie recipe that has that texture but maybe like a raspberry jam filling? Do you think I’d be able to use jam instead or meringue using this recipe?
Hi Lidiya, I haven’t figured out the name of the dough either – I have wondered the same thing myself. I haven’t tested it through but I think it’s worth experimenting with jam. If you test that out, please let me know how it goes.
Ok I would give these 10 stars if I could! I just labeled these “Keeper” and put in my holiday file. I love cookies that are not too sweet, and once I read the recipe I knew these would not disappoint! I made them today and already had 3. They ring every bell, and remind me of the dessert tables at every church pot luck growing up. (Lots of Eastern European ancestry in my family). I need to make my husband hide them. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Karla!
Hi, does this dough taste similar to your “Finnish Meringue Cookies” ?
Hi Yuliya, maybe a little bit but it is a different dough.
These look amazing. But, I’m going to roll out the dough and use a glass like I do for pierogi. I was just making pierogi and then saw this re dope recipe. You have great hair😁
Thank you Maria!
Can you still make the meringue shells cookie recipe with just a hand mixer ?
Hi Stephanie, yes it would work with a hand mixer, but you will probably need to mix with a stiff mixing spoon towards the end of the cookie dough since it will be too thick for the egg beater attachment on a hand mixer. Also, for the meringue, follow the same process (beat egg whites first 1 minute then gradually and slowly add sugar) and you may need to beat the whites a little longer since an electric hand mixer is not as efficient in whipping meringue as a stand mixer
Natasha, all your recopies are fantastic! Perfect every time! It is a true joy to watch you bake and cook. Your smile always brighten my day!
Aww you’re so nice. Thank you!
Hi Natasha!
I’m excited to try this recipe but I’d love to know, can you make the dough ahead of time and freeze it for later use? Thanks!
Hi Inna, once they are all finished and powdered with sugar, keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. They still taste good up to 5 days later but the meringue doesn’t stay crispy that long. Keep them away from humidity and do not refrigerate or freeze since the humidity in the freezer will soften the meringue
Hi Natasha! How far in advance can these be made and stored?
Hi Vika, once they are all finished and powdered with sugar, keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. They still taste good up to 5 days later but the meringue doesn’t stay crispy that long. Keep them away from humidity and do not refrigerate or freeze since the humidity in the freezer will soften the meringue
Okay great! Do they have to be covered and stored in an airtight container those couple of days?
Yes! We keep ours in a sealed container 🙂
Loved the shell cookies. I hope I can keep my hands off these till my new years guests arrive.
You are brave!:) Thank you for that wonderful review!
These cookies are a favorite with our family and everyone else that we share them with. I added white whole wheat flour to mine and they worked out great! I found it helpful to add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the whites when they are frothy and also replacing half the amount of sugar required for the whites with powdered sugar because it really helped keep them stable. (I was making a few batches of cookies all at once) A piping bag really speeds up the process of spooning the meringue onto the rolled out dough. I’ve also made this recipe Gluten-free with fabulous results! Thank you so much for a great recipe!
That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing this feedback with us, Victoria!
What is the best way of keeping them so they taste as good the next day? Thanks!
Hi Inessa, we keep ours in a sealed container. Once they are all finished and powdered with sugar, keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. They still taste good up to 5 days later but the meringue doesn’t stay crispy that long. Keep them away from humidity and do not refrigerate or freeze since the humidity in the freezer will soften the meringue.
This is so yummy. I made them for Christmas and everybody like them (especially me). They are almost gone 🙂 Thank you, Natasha and Merry Christmas 🙂
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas!!
Omg, they taste so good! I think I overstuffed them with merengue as it came out of the shells, still the cookies are delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!! Thank you for the great review!
Hai. May i know if i could keep these cookies in airtight container at room temperature for a week atleast?
Hi Shakila, once they are all finished and powdered with sugar, keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. They still taste good up to 5 days later but the meringue doesn’t stay crispy that long. Keep them away from humidity and do not refrigerate or freeze since the humidity in the freezer will soften the meringue.
Natasha can they be made as “Finnish Meringue Cookies” in a log and then cut instead of each cookie separate?
Hi Liya! I honestly haven’t tried that. It may be possible it just won’t resemble the “rakushki” shape. If you try it that way I’d love to hear how you like it!
They turned out wonderful! And very quick to make…:)
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Liya!
How far in advance can these be made?
Hi Yelena! Once they are all finished and powdered with sugar, keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. They still taste good up to 5 days later but the meringue doesn’t stay crispy that long. Keep them away from humidity and do not refrigerate or freeze since the humidity in the freezer will soften the meringue.