(Makes 24 ghosts)

Meringue Ghosts: fluffy, gluten-free crispy meringue covered in chocolate and turned into ghosts, the ideal treat for Halloween. The versatility of the meringue means that- with extracts- you can add any flavor you like. There are classics like vanilla and almond, but orange, lemon, other extracts (even mint) also come out great. Flavoring them is advised as otherwise the meringue in itself doesn’t pack much taste.

Creativity is always a great boost to flavor: the crunchy toppings they’re dipped in make a difference. Roasted nuts, coconut, candied sprinkles and even chopped candy bars are all great options.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 egg whites at room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp extract (vanilla or almond)
  • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • Roasted nuts, coconut, or candy sprinkles

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PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  1. Place the egg whites (at room temperature) in a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and hand mixer with a wire whisk.)
  1. Set the mixer to med-high speed and beat the egg whites until they are foaming. Stop the mixer, add in the cream of tartar and then keep beating at medium-high setting until the egg whites have turned to opaque white color and can hold soft peaks.
  1. Now, start adding powdered sugar, just a few spoonfuls at a time as the mixer runs. Once all the sugar is added, incorporate any extracts you want to use and set the mixer to high speed. Keep beating the egg whites until very thick, glossy, and shiny white in color. When powering off the mixer and lifting the whisk out of the egg whites, they should hold stiff peaks. This process should take around 7-12 minutes.
  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment (wax) paper. Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag with a ½ inch round tip, or alternatively, into a large Ziploc bag with a ½ inch hole cut in one of the corners.
  1. Pipe the meringue into ghost shapes of about 1-1/2 inches wide by 2 inches tall. This can be accomplished either by squeezing the bag and then gradually pulling up thus making a big “blob” of a ghost, or through a series of upward spiraling concentric circles. Pipe 12 ghosts this way onto both baking sheet totaling about 2 dozen meringue ghosts.
  1. In the preheated oven, bake the meringues one hour. After that initial hour, open the oven door and keep cooking for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off, close the door, and let the meringues sit until they have completely cooled down, this should take approximately one hour.
  1. Once the meringues are crisp and at room temperature, melt the chocolate (in a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler). If you want to coat the meringue bottoms in crushed nuts, sprinkles, or toasted coconut, set those toppings in small, shallow bowls.
  1. Dip the bottoms of the ghosts into the chocolate, scrape the bottoms against the bowl’s edge in order to remove the excess chocolate. If you’re using other toppings, don’t wait and press the bottom of the ghost into the topping bowl so that it sticks to the wet chocolate. Set the dipped ghost back onto the baking sheet and repeat the process with all remaining ghosts and chocolate. With a toothpick and the remaining melted chocolate, make two dots for eyes on each ghost and, should you want to, a mouth or other features.
  1. Refrigerate the ghosts for about 5-10 minutes in order to allow the chocolate to set. Don’t refrigerate them any longer than what is absolutely necessary: they will absorb moisture from the refrigerator and lose their crispness if left too long.

Store the Meringue Ghosts in an airtight container at room  temperature.

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