Meringue Ghosts

By longhornfans

Meringue Ghosts are haphazard mounds of sweetened meringue studded with cute little candy eyes. They each get their own personality by the way they are formed and how they bake.

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup superfine or caster sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take 1 cup granulated white sugar and process it for about 30 seconds in a food processor)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Details

Servings 30
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 300mins
Adapted from joyofbaking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place the rack in the center of the oven.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip or large Ziploc Bag with corner cut off.

In the bowl of electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy.

Add cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks.

Add sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks.

Beat in the vanilla extract.

NOTE: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Before placing ghosts on the cookie sheet, place a little meringue on the underside of each corner of parchment paper to prevent paper from sliding.

Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag and, holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe, with even pressure, about 2 inch high mounds of meringue. Carefully press two candy eyes, edible silver dragees, or two miniature chocolate chips into each meringue ghost.

Bake meringues for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until they are dry and crisp to the touch. Turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours, or even overnight.

The Meringue Ghosts will keep several days at room temperature.