Looking for the perfect scary sweet treat for your Halloween gathering? These meringue ghosts are as delicious as they are charming. Kids and grown ups will absolutely love them!
Lightly crispy on the outside and irresistibly gooey on the inside, they also look really cool as a cake decoration. Best of all, with only three ingredients and an easy baking process, these Halloween meringue ghosts are so simple to make.
Products you need for this recipe
Here are a few of the essential items you’ll need for this recipe:
- Edible ink pen – the key part of making these little ghosties come to life, an edible ink pen is worth its weight in gold when it comes to making Halloween treats
- Stand mixer – get a good electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk up your egg whites
- Piping bag – an artistic baker’s best friend
- Baking trays – you’ll need some quality baking trays to bake your meringue. You’ll also need some baking parchment or baking paper
Meringue ghosts recipe
These little meringue ghosts have the potential to be the life and soul of your Halloween party! Kids go absolutely bananas for them! Little wonder, with the crispy outer coating and melt-in-your-mouth marshmallowy middle.
Resist them if you dare!
The recipe is fiendishly easy! It’s just a matter of whisking the meringue and piping the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The ghost meringue shapes are then baked in the oven for an hour, before being left to cool for several hours.
Finally, it’s all down to your creativity, as you use an edible ink pen to add faces to your meringue ghosts.
When you’re done, add your ghosts as decorations on your favourite Halloween cake. My toffee apple cake is perfect!
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What is meringue?
It’s a classic dessert item that’s been popular in many cuisines across the world for centuries. Essentially, meringue is a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar.
Sometimes a bit of acidity is added, in the form of lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar. Salt, flour or gelatin can sometimes also be added too.
How can you tell if meringue is overcooked?
Sometimes your meringue will crack or will have a chewy texture. This is a sign of overbaking, or even baking at a temperature that is too high.
What does it mean when your meringue won’t stiffen?
It could mean that you’ve added your sugar too soon to the egg whites. This means your egg whites haven’t had time to unfold properly and you won’t get that aerated, foamy texture needed to form a stiff, stable meringue.
It could also be that you haven’t whisked your egg whites for long enough.
Can meringue be over-beaten?
Yes they can. While under-whisking egg whites is the most common problem when it comes to making meringues, they can also be over-whisked. This will cause a grainy consistency. Properly whisked egg whites should have a nice sheen to them.
How do you store meringue ghosts?
It’s best to store them in a cool dry place at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container to keep fresh for longer.
Don’t store your meringue ghosts in the fridge. They’ll fall apart.
How long do meringue ghosts last?
These little Halloween ghosties will keep fresh for up to 3 weeks, as long as you keep them at room temperature in an airtight container.
Tips for the perfect meringue mixture
- Keep your mixing bowl spotless. No grease or any other cooking materials.
- Make sure your egg whites contain no bits of yolk.
- Use the freshest eggs possible stored at room temperature.
- Make sure you give your whites time to whisk before adding the sugar.
- Add the sugar slowly, one spoon at a time.
More spooktacular Halloween recipes
Need some more frightfully good treats for your Halloween party? Look no further.
- Halloween Toffee Apple Cake - we used these meringue ghosts as cake decoration in the photos you see in this post!
- Halloween brownies – Halloween will never be the same again! Just don’t let the word get out, or else you’ll have more trick or treaters than you can handle
- Alien brain hemorrhage – one for the adults. This creepy cocktail looks absolutely bonkers! The weirdest thing about it is how unbelievably good it tastes
- Pumpkin cupcakes – these little seasonal treats are perfect to keep the kids happy come the autumn festivities
- Butterbeer Fudge – don your witch outfit and enjoy these boozy little blocks of delight
- Alcoholic Butterbeer - something for the adults to enjoy on this scary night!
📖 Recipe
Meringue Ghosts Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 portions 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Looking for a sweet treat for Halloween? These spooky ghosts are just what you're looking for, both kids and grownups love them.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 120°C/100°C/210°F/ ¼ Gas mark
- Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl on a medium speed until they form soft peaks.
- While the mixer is running at a medium speed, add the sugar a spoonful at a time until everything is fully incorporated. Continue to whisk until the mixture is shiny and has achieved stiff peaks
- Spoon the meringue into a piping bag, fitted with a 1cm (½in) round piping nozzle.
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Pipe the ghostly shapes onto the paper at least 2cm apart.
- Place the baking trays in the oven for an hour. Once one hour has passed, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for a couple of hours or even overnight.
- Remove the meringues from the oven.
- Use an edible ink pen to draw on funny and scary faces. Serve with spooky desserts of your choice, Enjoy!
Notes
- Alternatively, you can substitute half of the caster sugar with 120g (1 cup) icing sugar.
- If you can’t get hold of an edible ink pen then you can use melted chocolate and apply faces with a toothpick.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 23.5 g
- Sodium: 28.9 mg
- Fat: 1.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 74.4 mg
Katie
Usually my meringues don't form properly but I followed your instructions and they came out flawlessly, thanks Michelle!
Michelle Minnaar
Meringues can be tricky in that regard Katie, don't worry!
My pleasure I hope you enjoyed them.
Barbara
Hello!
I saw an asian lady make meringues by starting as you would with a swiss meringue - in a double boiler. She baked them after that. And hers were beautiful and did not fall at all as they were being baked and dried. I plan to give that a try too and wondered if you had ever come across it in your travels through Cooking Land.