Meringue Ghosts

Delightfully crisp and light, these meringue ghosts are the most adorable Halloween treats! And they couldn’t be easier to make.

I don’t know how and why, but my oldest son, who is 5, has been obsessed with ghosts since he was 2! And now his little brother is too!! They absolutely LOVE Halloween, and they might even think that it’s a year-round thing. 🙂

Anyway, since they’re so into ghosts, I thought it would be fun to make these meringue ghosts for them. Sure enough, it was a huge hit!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Not that you need much convincing, here’s 3 reasons you’ll love this meringue cookie recipe:

• Super easy to make
• Basic pantry ingredients
• Incredibly adorable sweet treats

3 meringue tips:

Working with meringue may seem scary.

But if you’ve been around here for a little bit, you know it’s not really complicated.

Just follow these 3 tips, you’ll get perfect cookies!

1. Make sure your egg whites don’t get in contact with any fat or egg yolk. This means bowl and whisk should be squeaky clean. Metal or glass bowls are the best, as plastic bowls tend to absorb grease. Watch my meringue 101 video to understand why it’s important.
2. Room temperature egg whites reach greater volume. Simply separate the egg whites while they’re cold, then let them sit on the counter for half an hour or so.
3. Add sugar slowly and make sure sugar granules are completely dissolved before piping the ghosts. If not dissolved, sugar granules will melt during baking and you won’t get that nice crispy cookies.

Key Ingredients:

• Egg whites – It’s easier to separate cold eggs as yolks are firmer and don’t break easily. So separate the eggs as soon as you take them out of the fridge. You can also use carton egg whites. Just be sure to read the labels on the carton, as some egg whites are not meant for making meringue.
• Sugar – I’ve made meringue cookies with both granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Both works great for meringue cookies! For granulated sugar, I highly recommend fine granulated sugar, so they dissolve faster.
• Cream of tartar is an acid and used to stabilize egg whites. It’s an optional ingredient and can be omitted.

How to make meringue cookies:

1. In a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy.
2. When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to whisk.
3. Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
4. Gradually increase the speed to medium high and continue beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag with a round tip. (I use Wilton 1A tip.)
6. Pipe 1.5-inch tall mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If using candy eyes, place the candy eyes on each meringue.
7. Bake the meringue cookies for about 2 hours at 200°F. Then turn off the oven and cool the cookies completely in the oven, for a few hours or overnight.
8. Once completely cooled, transfer the cookies into an airtight container.

3 ways to decorate:

No candy eyes? No problem. Here’re 3 ways you can decorate your meringue cookies:

1. Gel food coloring – Using a black gel food coloring, draw eyes (and mouth) on baked meringue cookies.
2. Edible marker – You can also use edible black marker to draw eyes (and mouth) on baked cookies.
3. Melted chocolate – Melt dark chocolate and draw eyes (and mouth) with it.

How to store meringue cookies:

The best part of meringue cookies is its crisp texture! And to keep its crisp texture, it’s important to store them correctly.

• Make sure the meringue cookies are completely cooled. Although it’s slower process, I like to cool my meringue cookies in the oven overnight.
• Then transfer the cooled meringue cookies into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.