DENVER — For a sweet surprise for your family or neighbors, these Meringue Ghosts are a spooktacular way to say "Happy Halloween"!
Meringue Ghosts
Ingredients:
3 egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip egg whites until foamy; then add cream of tartar and vanilla. Whip until the whites form soft peaks. Add sugar, a little at a time, and whip until the whites are glossy and form stiff peaks.
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco #4). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, adding a dab of meringue to each corner of the cookie sheet to secure the paper.
Pipe 4-inch ghosts, starting with a triangle for the head, then the arms and body. Pipe two additional layers, maintaining constant pressure on the piping bag, until the ghosts are ¾ inch thick. Use mini chocolate chips to form the eyes and mouth.
Bake 1 hour, turn the oven off, and allow the ghosts to dry 2 to 3 hours with the oven door closed. Peel off the parchment paper, cool the ghosts completely on a wire rack, and store them between layers of parchment paper in airtight containers.
Yield: 12 to 14 ghosts