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!
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.