Meringue Ghost Cookies

Baking a batch of Meringue Ghost Cookies is a great way for children of all ages to enjoy the season. These cookies are easy to make using just a few simple ingredients. They are also low in calories and fat and have a wonderful vanilla flavor.

Spur of the Moment Ghostly Meringues

Here it is, a few days before Halloween, and I have scarcely thought about it. My only decoration this year is a pumpkin on my front porch. I got it free with a fill up at the gas station and set it down to rummage for my keys when I got home. I still sits where I left it.

Now, suddenly, I think maybe I should do something more for the occasion. I wonder if I have a perfect recipe somewhere. I hope for one that is easy and requires no special ingredients, one that is seasonal and yet subtle.

After a little thought I remember something I made years ago – Meringue Ghost Cookies. Meringue Cookies have long been a favorite in my family. We make some that are rich with chocolate, others with bits of peppermint candy, and even a version with lavender and almonds. This recipe, however, is perhaps the simplest of all and was a great treat to make with my children.

Making Meringue Ghosts

Meringue Ghost Cookies requires only a few ingredients and involves kitchen tasks my children were eager to help with when they were young: cracking eggs, helping me operate the mixer, using a pastry bag to squeeze ghost shaped dollops of meringue onto parchment paper and then decorating them with chocolate chip eyes. Since the form of a ghost is very forgiving, skill and experience is not necessary to come up with a pleasing result.

This year I am on my own in the kitchen. Meringue Ghost Cookies still seem like a good idea. I will have to handle the pastry bag myself but these cookies are easy to make using simple ingredients I have on hand. They are also low in calories and fat and have a wonderful vanilla flavor. I think baking a batch is a great way for children of all ages to enjoy the season.

Meringue Ghosts Cookies

Course: CookiesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

24

cookies

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

50

minutes

These cookies are easy to make using just a few simple ingredients. They are also low in calories and fat and have a wonderful vanilla flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Take cold eggs and separate the white from the yolk carefully. (Any trace of egg yolk or grease in the egg whites or on the bowl or the beaters will inhibit the fluffiness of the meringue.) Cover the yolks and return to the refrigerator for another use. Set the whites aside until they warm to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes.
• Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a deep bowl at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Continue to beat adding sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time, until the meringue forms stiff peaks and a little of it rubbed between your fingers no longer feels gritty. Beat in vanilla.
• Heat oven to 200F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, dabbing a small bit of meringue between the corners of the parchment and the pan to help the parchment lay flat.
• Scoop meringue into a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag. Snip a 1/2 inch opening across a lower corner of the bag. Use like a pastry bag to pipe meringue onto the parchment paper in the shape of a ghost approximately 2 inches wide, 3 or 4 inches long, and 2 inches apart. Place two miniature chocolate chips on the shape and press lightly into the meringue to form eyes. Repeat with remaining meringue.
• Place ghosts in oven. Bake until meringues turn lightly golden, approximately 1 1/2 hours, turning and switching position of the pans halfway through. Turn oven off and let meringues sit in the closed oven for another hour before removing.

Notes

• Recipe Source: I first saw this recipe in the October 2003 issue of Sunset Magazine. When I couldn’t locate my clipping I found it again at DianasDesserts.com. I also found some great tips for working with meringue at JoyofBaking.com.
• These are great on their own or with a bowl of ice cream or fruit. They would also look great as a decoration on a cake or pumpkin pie.
• To enhance the vanilla flavor of the meringue I used vanilla sugar that I had on hand. I make vanilla sugar whenever a recipe calls for the seeds from a vanilla bean. After I scrape the seeds into the recipe I am making I seal the leftover outer hull in a storage container covered with several cups of sugar. This infuses the sugar with a wonderful vanilla scent and flavor. After a couple of weeks the sugar can be used in place of regular sugar in any recipe where you would like to boost the vanilla flavor.