Cute Halloween Ghost Meringues
These easy ghost meringues are a cute Halloween treat. It’s a fun activity for kids to make so they can share them with their friends or neighbors. They also make a fantastic addition to a Boo your neighbor gift!
Meringues are an easy treat to make that are crispy on the outside with a light melt in the mouth texture on the inside. They are really fun to decorate and when simply piped make they make adorable little ghosts.
Unfortunately, they do have a reputation for being difficult but knowing where the common trouble spots are makes all the difference. Make sure to read through the Top Tips Section below or the notes section in the recipe card.
This recipe makes a bunch so share the love and make a treat platter to Boo your neighbors or friends. The Mini Mummy Cakes and Purple People Eater Cupcakes would be some other fun additions to share.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Cream of tartar
- Egg whites
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Candy eyes
- Betty Crocker black frosting gel
Substitutions
If you are looking to take a short cut the black frosting gel from Betty Crocker is a handy one. However, any kind of frosting will work so use whatever is best for you.
The candy eyes can usually be found at stores like JoAnn’s, Michaels, or in the holiday section of grocery stores or stores like Target or Walmart. You can also find them online.
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- NordicWare Baking Sheets
- Piping Bags, disposable OR traditional
- 1 inch tip with coupler
- Stand mixer
- Cooling racks
A stand mixer is the best for making meringues because of how long they need to be whipped for. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can make them with a hand mixer but it might take longer.
You can use bigger or smaller tips too and you can also just use a bag without a tip, they work just fine that way too.
How to make this
Preheat the oven to 200˚ and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Wipe down your mixer bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any grease, wipe dry with a clean paper towel.
Put the cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Pour the room temperature egg whites over it, turn the mixer on low and let it mix in the cream of tartar.
Slowly increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is foamy. Then increase the speed to high and beat until it holds soft peaks.
Then slowly add the sugar Tablespoon by Tablespoon beating well between each addition. Beat until it holds stiff peaks and it’s glossy. Add the vanilla and beat it in for 30 seconds.
Cut the tip off of a disposable icing bag and fit it with a one-inch tip. Pipe your ghosts on the prepared sheets, you can put them close together because they don’t spread very much.
Fill your sheets with them, make sure the bottom is wider than the top and pull up while you stop squeezing the piping bag to make a little point. Add the eyes now, they don’t have to be perfect, in fact, they’re more fun if you make them silly
Bake the trays for 60 minutes, rotating them halfway through. Once they’re baked turn off the door let the ghosts cool in the oven for 60 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and let cool completely. Once they’re cool add a mouth as desired.
Top Tips
It is essential to remove all grease from anything that will touch the egg whites. Any sort of grease will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly and achieving the stiff peaks that you need.
Allowing meringues to sit in the oven after baking is an essential step. You want them to dry out completely in the middle so that they are solid and can be removed from the parchment paper. This time also helps prevent them from cracking.
If you bake in the lower portion of the oven you won’t get browned ghosts.
These are best made the day you plan to eat them.
Top Tips for cooking with kids
Even if kids don’t help with the actual making of the meringue letting them pipe and decorate the boos is still a lot of fun.
See here for more tips on cooking with kids!
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Other recipes you may like for Halloween
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Candy Eyes
- Black frosting gel by Betty Crocker but ANY frosting will work
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200˚ and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Wipe down your mixer bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any grease, wipe dry with a clean paper towel.
- Put the cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Pour the room temperature egg whites over it, turn the mixer on low and let it mix in the cream of tartar.
- Slowly increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is foamy. Then increase the speed to high and beat until it holds soft peaks.
- Then slowly add the sugar Tablespoon by Tablespoon beating well between each addition. Beat until it holds stiff peaks and it’s glossy. Add the vanilla and beat it in for 30 seconds.
- Cut the tip off of a disposable icing bag and fit it with a one-inch tip. Pipe your ghosts on the prepared sheets, you can put them close together because they don’t spread very much.
- Fill your sheets with them, make sure the bottom is wider than the top and pull up while you stop squeezing the piping bag to make a little point. Add the eyes now, they don’t have to be perfect, in fact, they’re more fun if you make them silly
- Bake the trays for 60 minutes, rotating them halfway through. Once they’re baked turn off the door let the ghosts cool in the oven for 60 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and let cool completely. Once they’re cool add a mouth as desired.
Notes
- You need an electric mixer of some kind to make meringues- either stand mixer or hand mixer.
- It is essential to remove all grease from anything that will touch the egg whites. Any sort of grease will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly and achieving the stiff peaks that you need.
- If you are looking to take a short cut the black frosting gel from Betty Crocker is a handy one. However, any kind of frosting will work so use whatever is best for you. The candy eyes can usually be found at stores like JoAnn’s, Michaels, or in the holiday section of grocery stores or stores like Target or Walmart. You can also find them online.
- Allowing meringues to sit in the oven after baking is an essential step. You want them to dry out completely in the middle so that they are solid and can be removed from the parchment paper. This time also helps prevent them from cracking.
- If you bake in the lower portion of the oven you won’t get browned ghosts.
