• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cook Well, Eat Well
  • Shop
  • Meet Shinee
  • Contact
Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

Sweet & Savory

Cook Well, Eat Well

  • New? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
      • Dips
      • Meat-lovers
    • Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • French Macarons
      • Pastries
      • Pies
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Salads
    • Seasonal
      • Summer Favorites
      • Easter
      • Christmas
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Game Day
      • Halloween
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Thanksgiving
      • Valentine’s Day
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Discover
    • Ingredients
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • Baking Basics
    • Cooking Basics
    • Advanced Techniques
    • How-To’s
  • Share
    • Seasonal
    • Party Planning 101
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    Subscribe To Updates
Home » Seasonal » Halloween » Meringue Ghosts

Meringue Ghosts

Skip to Recipe Print Share
Share on:
By: Shinee Published: 10/01/2021Updated: 10/04/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

Sharing is caring!

288 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

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!

Table of Contents

  • Why you’ll love this recipe:
  • 3 meringue tips:
  • Key Ingredients:
  • How to make meringue cookies:
  • 3 ways to decorate:
  • How to store meringue cookies:
  • Meringue Ghosts

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.

FREE printable gift tags

Click Here To Download My Free Pritable Gift Tags

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.

Tip

Meringue cookies tend to become sticky in humid weather. But when stored in an airtight container, they stay dry and crisp for a while!

YouTube video
Watch How to Make This Below!

Meringue Ghosts

Delightfully crisp and light, these meringue ghosts are the most adorable Halloween treats! And they couldn't be easier to make.
5 from 1 vote
serves: 36 cookies
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total : 6 hours
Print
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 4 (140g) egg whites at room temperature Note 1
  • ¾ cup (150g) fine granulated sugar Note 2
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar Note 3
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Candy eyes Note 4
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy.
  • When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to whisk.
  • Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
  • Gradually increase the speed to medium high and continue beating the egg whites until soft peaks form.
  • Stir in vanilla extract and continue beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
  • Transfer the meringue into a piping bag with a round tip. (I use Wilton 1A tip.)
  • Pipe 1.5-inch tall mounds on prepared baking sheets. If using candy eyes, place the candy eyes on each meringue.
  • 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.
  • Once completely cooled, transfer the cookies into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks

Tips & Notes:

Note 1: 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.
Note 2: 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. If using powdered sugar, use 1 ¼ cups (170g) of powdered sugar.
Note 3: Cream of tartar is an acid and used to stabilize egg whites. It’s an optional ingredient and can be omitted.
Note 4: In place of candy eyes, you can use black gel food coloring, black edible marker, or melted chocolate to draw eyes on baked and cooled meringue cookies.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving: 1cookie Calories: 19kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) Protein: 1g (2%) Fat: 1g (2%) Sodium: 22mg (1%) Potassium: 13mg Sugar: 4g (4%) Calcium: 1mg Iron: 1mg (6%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Diet:Gluten Free
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

Related Recipes

  • A few mummy meringue cookies with one is broken in half.
    Mummy Meringue Cookies
  • Easy Meringue Cookies
  • No-Bake Chocolate Salami Cookies
  • Orange Meringue Pie

Never Miss a Recipe!

Subscribe and receive my FREE Portion Planning Cheat Sheet for Cocktail and Dinner Parties.

Previous Post
October Bake & Share
Next Post
Mummy Meringue Cookies

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. patches mom says

    Posted on 1 November 2021 at 12:20 pm

    Have you ever made OVERNIGHT MERINGUES? My stepmother, Ruth Almira, did. My main question – Have you ever put figs inside the meringues?

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 19 November 2021 at 9:54 pm

      Hi, there! Not sure if “overnight meringues” refer to anything specific, but I’ve baked my meringue cookies and let them slowly cool in the oven all night. And no, I personally never have put figs inside meringue.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Shinee! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.

New? Start Here

Browse Specialties

Main Dishes Side Dishes Appetizers Salads Breads & Pastries Cakes Macarons Drinks Browse All
Portion Planning 101
Free Dinner Party Cheat Sheet
Download Now

Popular Recipes

Yellow and white macarons.

French Macarons for Beginners

Best Prime Rib Roast (Bone-In)

This is the simplest and moistest banana bread - easy to make and yields 2 breads! #bananabread

Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe

A plate full of chocolate chip cookies.

Egg Yolk Cookies

How to Make Homemade Pistachio Paste

sliced plain sponge cake layers

Easy Sponge Cake (3 Ingredient Cake)

Valentine's Day Desserts

Pistachio Macarons in a box

Pistachio Macarons

Supreme Chocolate Cheesecake

Supreme Chocolate Cake

Mini strawberry pavlovas on a baking sheet.

Strawberry Mini Pavlova

Pistachio Eclairs

Raspberry lemon tartlets arranged on a rectangular serving platter.

Raspberry Lemon Tartlets

Game Day Eats

Cooked bacon jalapeno poppers on a baking sheet.

finger food:

3-Ingredient Jalapeno Poppers

meat:

Beer BBQ Meatballs

Bean dip in a casserole dish with a portion being scooped with a chip.

dip:

3-Ingredient Bean Dip

appetizer:

Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Crackers

sandwich:

Philly Cheese Steak Sliders

dessert:

5-Ingredient Pineapple Cake

Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

Never Miss A Recipe

Subscribe and receive my FREE Portion Planning Cheat!

  • Discover
    • Recipe Index
    • Tools & Gadgets
    • Ingredients
  • Learn
    • Baking Basics
    • Cooking Basics
    • Advanced Techniques
  • Share
    • Holidays
    • Appetizers
    • Party Planning 101
  • Back To Top
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
© 2013-2023 Sweet & Savory Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Exclusive member of Mediavine Food
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe and Receive My FREE Portion Planning Cheat!