These Meringue Ghosts are simple, delicious and creative dessert for any Halloween party. They look great arranged on a festive platter and are perfect for Halloween potlucks because you can make them in advance.
A dairy-free, gluten-free adorable Halloween treat. Kids and grown ups will absolutely love them!
These sweet meringue ghosts will become your family’s favorite Halloween treats!
EASY MERINGUE GHOSTS FOR HALLOWEEN
These light and airy Meringue Ghosts make the most perfect Halloween treat because they are incredibly easy to put together and they have delicious texture that is crunchy on the outside but softer and melt in your mouth on the inside.
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KEY INGREDIENTS:
You just need 4 simple ingredients to make these meringue ghosts.
- Eggs whites – Separate the egg whites from the yolks while cold, then let the whites sit until they reach room temperature. This helps them whip up to maximum volume.
- Salt
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar works, but if you have superfine sugar, it dissolves even more smoothly, resulting in a creamier texture. You can make your own by pulsing regular sugar in a blender for a few seconds.
- Dark chocolate- I use melted dark chocolate to paint faces on the ghost meringues, but you could also use food safe marker.
**Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts and instructions!
HOW TO MAKE MERINGUE GHOSTS COOKIES
These meringue ghostly treats can be made 2 or 3 days in advance, so they’re perfect to make ahead of time. Plus the recipe makes 35, so you will have enough spooks for everyone.
- Start by beating egg whites and pinch of salt with an electric mixer in a clean, grease-free mixing bowl until soft peak.
- Keep beating as you gradually add your sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites until they get nice and thick and glossy and start to hold stiff peaks. This whole process typically takes 10-12 minutes, so don’t rush adding the sugar too quickly.
- Spoon the meringue into the large piping bag fitted with a large round tip or use a Ziploc bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe mound of meringue onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them an inch apart. Hold the tip close to the parchment paper and apply steady pressure to squeeze out meringue. Slowly lift the piping bag while continuing to squeeze to get some height to your ghosts, then pull away at the top leaving pointy tips.
- Bake in oven at 212° F for 90 minutes, then turn off the oven and let them stay in there for 10 more minutes, with the door closed.
- Once meringue cooled down, use the melted dark chocolate and a small food-safe paintbrush or toothpick to paint faces on your ghosts.
- Enjoy!
EQUIPMENT
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment, but an electric hand mixer would also work.
- Spatula
- Lined baking sheet
- Icing bag and large round icing tip
- Food safe paint brush
MERINGUE TIPS
- Keep your mixing bowl spotless. Wipe down the mixer bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any grease, wipe dry with a clean paper towel.
- When separating the egg whites make sure no yolk is left behind. Getting any egg yolk into the egg whites can make it difficult to achieve the stiff peaks you need for meringue ghosts.
- Stopping to scrape side of bowl halfway through mixing and rub meringue between 2 fingers to make sure it is smooth and no sugar granules can be felt. If it’s gritty, keep beating it until the grit is gone.
- Meringue is done when it holds a stiff peak.
- Don’t open the oven door right after you bake the meringue. You can leave them 2 to 3 hours or overnight if it’s easier.
- Before you pain the faces make sure the meringue are completely cooled.
- Instead of chocolate, you could also use an edible black marker, black food coloring, or black icing.
WAYS TO DECORATE
- Gel food coloring – Using a black gel food cockering, draw eyes (and mouth) on baked meringue cookies.
- Edible marker – You can also use edible black marker to draw yeas (and mouth) on abrade cookies.
RECIPE FAQs
Should egg whites be cold for meringue?
You want the egg whites to be at room temperature for best results.
How do you store meringue ghosts?
It’s best to store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They can be kept this way for up to 2 weeks. Don’t store your meringue ghosts in the fridge. They’ll fall apart.
THE BEST DESSERTS TO MAKE
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread – Dark Chocolate Banana Bread is the perfect breakfast treat to start your day!
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Lemon poppy seed cake is a tasty dessert treat you can make for any occasion!
- Orange Bundt Cake – Orange Bundt Cake is filled with bright flavor of fresh orange, making it both delicious and refreshing.
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MERINGUE GHOSTS
These delightfully crisp and light Meringue Ghosts are adorable Halloween treats that disappear as soon as you bite into them. Crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, these sweet cookies melt in your mouth—perfect for a ghostly theme and surprisingly easy to make!
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Piping Bag
- 1A round nozzle tip
- Parchment paper
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (room temperature)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 120 g fine granulated sugar
- 2 dark chocolate chips melted, add more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 212° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Wipe down the mixer bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any grease, wipe dry with a clean paper towel.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and salt and whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add in granulated sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition, and increase mixer to medium-high speed. Continue to beat the meringue until it becomes glossy, achieve stiff peaks and all the sugar is incorporated (about 10-12 minutes). Stopping to scrape side of bowl halfway through mixing and rub meringue between 2 fingers to make sure it is smooth and no sugar granules can be felt.
- Cut the tip off of a disposable pastry bag and fit it with a one-inch round piping tip (you can also use bigger or smaller tips or you can use a ziploc bag with one end snipped off one). Fill the pastry bag with the meringue.
- Holding tip vertically to baking sheet and squeeze, pulling the bag up and away to make a peak. Space the meringues about 1 inch apart on your baking sheet as they won’t spread. They won't spread while baking so they can be piped fairly close together as long as there is enough space that they aren’t at risk of touching. Make sure the bottom is wider than the top and pull up while you stop squeezing the piping bag to make a little point. Pipe meringue onto parchment paper in different sizes.
- Bake the meringue cookies for 90 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the ghost meringues inside with the door closed for 10 minutes to cool slowly. Afterward, slightly open the oven door and let them cool for at least an hour. Finally, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before serving.
- Once the meringues have cooled, use melted dark chocolate and a small food-safe paintbrush or toothpick to paint faces on your ghosts.
- Let dry completely before storing or serving.
Notes
Make sure all the equipment are absolutely clean and dry, any small fat or even a tiny bit of egg yolk can make it hard to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and can ruin the meringue.
If you find that the parchment paper moves around on you a lot while piping, you can stick it down by piping small dots of meringue directly onto the baking sheet in each corner, then placing the parchment paper on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 15kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.004gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 0.01mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 0.1IUCalcium: 0.3mgIron: 0.04mg
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