Meringue Ghosts

Meringues

If you’ve never made meringues before, don’t let them intimidate you. They’re really easy, and I have some great tips to help you make these. And don’t forget to let the kiddos help.

Creating little ghost shapes is easy and part of the fun of the ghosts is that each one will have its own unique shape and personality.

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

Gather the ingredients

For this recipe, I made a small batch of mini ghosts; each ghost is about 1-inch tall. You can use them to top cupcakes, a rich dark chocolate cake, chocolate cheesecake, or serve them as cookies by themselves. The recipe makes about 24-28 mini ghosts. If you need an army of ghosts or more larger ghosts, feel free to double or triple the recipe. Just use the servings slider on the recipe card to do the calculations for you.

You’ll need an egg white, confectioners’ (icing) sugar, superfine granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and dark chocolate for the eyes.

You should be able to find these ingredients in well stocked grocery stores.

What if I can’t find superfine sugar?

Superfine sugar is called for in recipes that require sugar to dissolve quickly, like these meringues. It makes a nice texture.

If you can’t find superfine sugar, you can make it in a food processor, blender, coffee grinder, or spice grinder.

Measure out a little bit more of the sugar than you need and place it in the food processor. Pulse or blend in short bursts until the sugar is finely ground, like fine sand. The sugar can be run through a mesh strainer to remove any remaining large granules. Then measure the amount for the recipe.

And, yes, if you don’t feel like making or buying superfine, you can use regular granulated sugar, the texture just won’t be as nice.

Egg white

Cold eggs separate better than room temperature eggs. And you don’t want to get any yolks in your meringues as that would cause the meringues to not whip properly.

Room temperature egg whites will whip better and get more volume than cold eggs.

So, separate the egg whites as soon as you take them out of the fridge, then keep the whites on the counter for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature.

While you wait, prep for the rest of the ghost meringues recipe.

Start whipping

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg white on high speed until it becomes frothy (you will see lots of little bubbles).

Turn the speed of the mixer down, and add the sugar mixture in small amounts as you gradually increase the speed of the mixer. If you add the sugar in too quickly, you can deflate the meringue. 

You want the egg whites to maintain their volume as you add sugar. If you see the meringue start to collapse, stop adding the sugar and let the eggs stiffen and rise a bit before adding the rest of the sugar, a small amount at a time.

Whisking slowly at first, increasing the speed to high speed, until the egg whites are glossy and at the stiff peak stage (meaning that the mixture holds the peaks when you remove the whisk), about 5 minutes or so.

The time it takes to get the egg whites to hold their shape can vary based on your mixer, the freshness of the eggs, and the weather.

Pipe the ghosts

Place the pastry bag fitted with a round tip in a glass to hold it while you fill it. I also use the glass to hold the bag while I’m piping if I need to adjust my hands at all.

Spoon the meringue into the piping bag, shaking the mixture down to the bottom of the bag. Try to press out any big air bubbles, but don’t be too rough with the mixture.

If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a ziptop plastic bag and cut off the tip. Make sure it isn’t a pleated bottom plastic bag or it won’t have a nice clean tip to pipe from.

Hold the bag vertically to get pointed peaks.

Continually press the meringue mixture with both hands on the bag. Place one hand at the top of the bag and your other hand halfway down the bag. Press the meringue directly down onto the parchment paper. Press down and lift up to create layered stacks or lumps for each ghost. Release the pressure, pulling up on the piping bag in between each layer.

Lift the bag straight up to create the peak on the top of the ghost head.

This may take a bit of patience and practice. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect the first time. Each ghost will have their own personality.

Repeat, piping all the ghosts. Space the meringues about 1 inch apart on the parchment paper lined baking sheet as they won’t spread as they bake. Work quickly as the mixture will soften over time.

Bake

Preheat oven to 200° F (95° C). Once heated, place the tray on the on the middle rack to avoid overcooked bottoms.

Bake them for about 5 hours or until the ghosts just start to darken, the tops become a little browned, and the meringue is crispy. Let cool.

Once they’re completely cooled, they will harden and be ready to decorate with the eyes.

Make faces

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each time, or in a double boiler on the stove.

Dip the back of the paint brush (the tip of the handle end) into the melted chocolate to make the eyes. You can also add a mouth or make spooky or silly faces if you like.  

Storage

These meringues ghosts will remain crispy for up to two weeks if kept in an airtight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. They can also be frozen for longer storage, up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container. Stack the pieces with layers with parchment paper separating them.

Why are the meringues chewy?

Chewy meringues are generally the result of too much moisture. Either they weren’t baked long enough, or they have been left in a humid place and have absorbed moisture from the air.

They can be re-crisped by placing them back in the oven at 200° F for about 10 minutes.