Who Ya Gonna Call (when you're looking for the best Halloween recipe ever)? Ghostbuster meringue cookies make any Halloween dessert a little bit spooky and everyone smile! These feather-light, crunchy confections taste great all by themselves, but they make a perfect dessert topper for cheesecakes and taste great floating on top of hot cocoa, or with a scoop of ice cream. Plus, this easy meringue recipe is so versatile you can use it to make meringue pie crust, pavlova, or even to top off your next coconut cream or lemon meringue pie.
Why We Love The Halloween Ghost Meringue Cookies
- They're adorable!
- Kiddos love them
- Easy to make
- Taste great
- Super fun (and easy) to decorate
- Taste great with hot cocoa
- Make an excellent ice cream topper
How to Make Foolproof Meringue Every Time (even on a rainy day)
Egg white meringue is a sweet little confection that can be made chewy or crispy (pavlovas), or even soft and fluffy to top pies. And it's really easy to make. I based this recipe on King Arthur's meringue recipe because they're the best at baking in my opinion. There are a few simple rules to follow that'll ensure fluffy perfectly meringue every time.
- Never use a plastic bowl to whip egg whites. Plastic is known for accumulating oil over time that's hard to wash off. Oil or fat of any kind will keep egg whites from whipping up. Use only stainless steel, glass, or copper to whip the whites and make sure there isn't a single trace of oil or fat in the bowl before you start.
- When separating yolks from whites, make sure not even a single drop of yolks makes it into the bowl with the whites. Yolks contain fat and as mentioned above, if you get any fat in egg whites, they won't whip up as they should.
- Separate yolks from whites using two separate bowls that are not the mixing bowl you'll use to whip the whites. If a yolk breaks and accidentally mixes into the egg whites, it's easier to remove it and ensure no traces of yolk end up in your actual mixing bowl. And you can always start over without having to wash your mixing bowl again.
- Use cream of tartar. Using an acid such as cream of tartar helps stabilize egg whites and keeps them from potentially collapsing during or after being baked. You can use lemon juice or vinegar if you don't have cream of tartar.
- If your environment is especially humid add cornstarch to the sugar before whipping. Adding a little cornstarch to the sugars will help ensure the meringue stays dry after being baked which means you can make meringue even on rainy days.
- Add the sugar to the egg whites slowly over 4-5 minutes. This saves you time because it helps the whites whip up much faster. If you accidentally add all the sugar at once, they'll still whip up but it will take a lot longer to reach stiff peaks.
- Bake meringues low and slow. Don't try to rush your meringues by baking them at a higher temperature or more quickly. Doing so may make your meringues a darker color, end up not being cooked all the way through, or "weeping" after removing them from the oven.
Halloween Ghost Meringue Ingredients
- superfine or granulated sugar
- confectioner sugar
- egg whites
- cream of tartar
- salt
- pure vanilla extract (or another flavored extract)
How to Make Ghostbuster Meringues
- Preheat oven 250°F/120°C. Preheat the oven and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Measure the dry ingredients. Add the sugars and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and be sure not to get any yolk in the whites.
- Make the meringue. Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until the eggs are foamy (about 2 minutes). Add the salt and slowly increase the speed. When the volume has doubled and the egg whites are opaque, start slowly sprinkling sugar one tablespoon at a time (over 4-5 minutes) while continuing to beat the whites until glossy and they hold stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla.
- Pipe the meringues. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe the meringue ghosts onto the parchment paper.
- Bake the meringues. Bake meringues for 30 minutes and reduce the temperature to 225°F/105°C and bake for 2 hours. Turn the oven off, open the oven door open and allow the meringues to cool for 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate Ghostbuster Meringues. When the meringues have cooled, use an edible marker to draw faces onto the ghosts, and Enjoy!
How to Flavor Meringues
Playing with the flavor and texture of meringues is fun and can change the entire dessert experience. Use any of the options below to replace the pure vanilla extract in the recipe.
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon natural strawberry extract
- ½ to 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon peppermint oil
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon coconut flavoring
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon orange oil
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon oil
- 1 cup toasted, chopped nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
How to Store Meringues at Room Temperature + in the Freezer
Once meringues have completely cooled, they can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to a couple of weeks. If your home is really humid, you may want to place meringues in a freezer bag first and then into an airtight glass jar or plastic container. If you're freezing meringues, place them into an airtight container layered with parchment paper for 1-3 months. Thaw meringues at room temperature and be sure to check that the condensation doesn't have contact with the cookies. Do not store meringue cookies in the fridge because it will make them very soft and sticky.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Halloween Ghostbuster Meringues
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 to 36 Ghostbuster Meringues
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ghostbuster meringue cookies make any Halloween dessert a little bit spooky and everyone smile! These feather-light, crunchy confections taste great all by themselves, but they make a perfect dessert topper for cheesecakes and taste great floating on top of hot cocoa, or with a scoop of ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup superfine or regular sugar (220g)
- 1 ½ cups confectioner sugar (197g)
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature (200g-225g)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or another flavored extract)
Instructions
- Preheat oven 250°F/120°C. Preheat the oven and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Measure the dry ingredients. Add the sugars and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and be sure not to get any yolk in the whites.
- Make the meringue. Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until the eggs are foamy (about 2 minutes). Add the salt and slowly increase the speed. When the volume has doubled and the egg whites are opaque, start slowly sprinkling sugar one tablespoon at a time (over 4-5 minutes) while continuing to beat the whites until glossy and they hold stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla.
- Pipe the meringues. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe the meringue ghosts onto the parchment paper.
- Bake the meringues. Bake meringues for 30 minutes and reduce the temperature to 225°F/105°C and bake for 2 hours. Turn the oven off, open the oven door open and allow the meringues to cool for 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate Ghostbuster Meringues. When the meringues have cooled, use an edible marker to draw faces onto the ghosts, and Enjoy!
Notes
- Do not use a plastic bowl to beat egg whites. Plastic bowls can hold on to residual oil from use over time which would keep the egg whites from whipping to stiff peaks. Instead use only glass, stainless steel, or copper so that you can be sure there is no fat or oil of any kind in the bowl.
- Cold eggs are easier to separate than room temperature eggs. You may separate the eggs when they're cold, but make sure you let the whites sit out for about 10 minutes until they reach room temperature before whipping. They whip up better this way and don't take nearly as long to reach stiff peaks.
- Meringues are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C.
- For chewy meringues, bake them for around 1 hour less.
- If you want to flavor your meringues, after you fold in the vanilla (or another flavored extract), you can also add in chopped nuts or chocolate for a different flavor. Just before baking, you can sprinkle piped meringues with sugar.
- For super smooth and shiny meringues, use superfine sugar instead of regular granulated sugar. If you don't have superfine sugar, simply process regular sugar a few times in a food processor to achieve a superfine consistency. Regular sugar tastes just the same but will leave granular bumps in your meringue.
- To make this a vegan meringue recipe, for every 1 large egg white, replace with 2 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid drained off of a can of chickpeas or dried chickpea cooking liquid).
- Halve the recipe if you need less Ghost Meringues. This recipe makes a lot of meringue which is perfect for entertaining or baking for Halloween parties, but if you just need a few to top this spooky Halloween cheesecake, make a ½ recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 to 2 meringues
Ghostbuster Halloween Meringues recipe step-by-step photos
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