Halloween Meringue Ghosts with Just 2 Ingredients
Little ghost-shaped meringues, crisp outside and melt-in-the-mouth inside, with chocolate chip eyes: the lightest Halloween treat, made with nothing but egg whites and sugar.
Looking for a light Halloween treat that everyone will enjoy and that you can make with what you already have in the kitchen?
Then meringue ghosts are just the thing. I will show you how two egg whites and a little sugar are all you need to make about twenty little ghosts, crisp on the outside and melt-in-the-mouth inside, with chocolate chip eyes that give them instant personality.
The beauty of this recipe is that the shape takes care of itself: with a piping bag and a round nozzle you pipe a tall mound, pull up at the end and the ghost is done. No pastry-chef skills required.
It has at least three advantages: it is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, so it works for guests with intolerances, it costs next to nothing, and it is the perfect way to use up egg whites left over from other recipes.
The secret is patience in the oven. Meringues do not really bake, they dry out, at a low temperature and with the door slightly open, so the moisture can escape and they stay snowy white. If the oven is too hot they turn beige and crack.
Let them cool inside the switched-off oven: a sudden change in temperature is a meringue’s worst enemy.
Ready? Let’s get started on these Halloween meringue ghosts.
Steps
- Preheat a conventional oven to 100°C (210°F) and line a baking tray with parchment.
- Whisk the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they turn white and foamy.
- Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, still whisking, until the meringue is glossy, firm and holds stiff peaks that do not flop over.
- Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle and pipe mounds about 5 cm tall, pulling upwards at the end to create the ghost's pointed tip.
- Press on two chocolate chips for the eyes and a smaller one for the mouth.
- Bake at 90-100°C (195-210°F) for about 1 hour 30 minutes, with the oven door held slightly ajar by the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside until they lift easily off the parchment.
Helpful tips
Weigh the egg whites and use twice their weight in sugar: it is the ratio that never fails.
The bowl must be perfectly clean and dry: even a trace of yolk will stop the whites from whipping up.
Store the ghosts in a tightly closed tin, away from humidity: they stay crisp for a week.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 33 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 7.5 g
- Sugars
- 7.3 g
- Protein
- 0.4 g
- Fat
- 0.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 0.1 g
- Fiber
- 0.1 g
- Sodium
- 12 mg
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