Meringue Ghosts
Light, crisp, and airy. These ghost meringue cookies are spooky but so tasty!
Servings 32 Cookies
Equipment
- Whisk attachment
- Distilled white vinegar for cleaning the bowl and whisk
Ingredients
- 3 oz liquid egg whites *about 3 fresh eggs
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar (5 oz or 114g)
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp almond extract *Or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or other extract
- pinch kosher salt
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220° F. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and a piping bag with the Ateco #808 tip. Set aside. Wash the bowl and whisk with hot water and soap to remove oil residue. Then, wipe down the bowl and whisk with distilled vinegar using a paper towel.
- Add a 1/3 cup water into a double boiler. Heat the water until it's simmering.
- Place the second pot on top and add the egg whites and sugar and gently whisk. The mixture is done when you no longer see the granulated sugar. Or, you can use a thermometer to check for 110° F.
- Carefully add the hot mixture into a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar, your flavoring of choice, and salt to the mixture. Then turn on the stand mixer to high and let them whip up!
- Once the meringue can stand up on the whisk with a slight curl, it's stable and ready to pipe! Fill the prepare piping bag with meringue.
- Pipe a dollop. Gently pull the piping bag up and then down again to pipe another dollop of meringue on top of the first one. Repeat again for a third dollop. Pull the piping bag straight up and then away to one side to get that little curve!
- Place the tray on the lower oven rack for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the oven but do not open the over door. Let meringues cool in the oven for at least one hour or more.
- Melt 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals to avoid burning it. Use a food safe brush to dip into the chocolate and gently dab on the eyes and mouth.
- Store your cookies in an airtight container for two weeks. They don't need to be refrigerated!