If you're looking for an easy treat for your next Halloween party, try this recipe for Ghost Meringues! These easy edible Halloween decorations use only 4 ingredients and can be made ahead of time!
Don't miss out on my other Easy Halloween Baking Recipes; these Pumpkin Halloween Cupcakes are my favorite!
Why This Painted Ghost Meringue Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Ghost Meringues
- Ready in: 2hrs 40 minutes (including cooling time)
- Serves: 20 mini meringues
- Main ingredients: Egg whites, superfine sugar, vinegar, food coloring.
- Perfect for: These spooky Halloween decorations are perfect for dessert tables or decorating cakes and cupcakes.
- Why I love it: This recipe nails the basics of baking the perfect mini meringues. Also, these are painted ghost meringues, so no candy eyes are needed.
- Calories: 33kcal
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Key Ingredients
- Egg whites - Use room-temperature egg whites to get the most volume. Egg whites are given in grams for accuracy.
- Castor sugar - For glossy meringues with a great texture, use superfine sugar rather than granulated sugar.
- White vinegar - Vinegar is added while whipping the whites to help stabilize the meringue mixture. Use white grape vinegar; you can also use lemon juice instead.
- Black food coloring - Use this to paint the eyes and mouths of the ghosts. Food coloring is much easier to use for decorating than melted chocolate.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
You can create multicolored meringues by adding gel food coloring to the meringue mixture before piping the ghosts. These Halloween meringues make the perfect decoration on these Black Velvet Cupcakes or this Pumpkin Carrot Cake.
How to Make Ghost Meringues
- Step 1: Set the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F) fan-forced, and line two large baking trays with parchment paper. Start by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk in the egg whites. Add the whites to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at low speed until small bubbles form.
- Step 2: Increase the mixer to medium speed. Once the whites are frothy and white, add the vinegar. Then add the sugar gradually, a tablespoon at a time, with the mixer running.
- Step 3: Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and beat for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks like smooth, white marshmallow fluff with stiff peaks. Add the whipped meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle. Pipe the meringues onto the prepared baking trays. Bake the meringues in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the bottoms lift easily off the parchment paper.
- Step 4: Switch off the oven and let the meringues dry out for about 2 hours or overnight. Squeeze a small amount of black gel food coloring into a small bowl, then use a fine paintbrush to paint eyes and a mouth onto each meringue. Serve and enjoy!
How to Pipe Meringue Kisses
To pipe these ghost meringue kisses, you will need a large piping bag fitted with a round plain 2cm diameter nozzle. Hold the piping bag straight upwards so that the nozzle is perpendicular to the tray surface. Squeeze to release the meringue mixture, lifting upwards slowly. Release the pressure on the piping bag and lift the bag upwards; this will create the perfect 'tail' or drip to the top of the meringue. For more meringue tips, see this recipe, The Perfect Mini Meringues.
Expert Tips
- Meringues are very heat-sensitive, so make sure you have tested the actual temperature of your oven with a thermometer before baking. This is important if you want a perfectly white meringue.
- Set your oven to fan-forced for the best results.
- Make sure your meringue mixture has whipped well enough before piping; the ghosts must hold their shape after piping.
- Be sure to separate the egg whites from the egg yolk properly; any yolk in the whites will affect the meringue.
Ghost Meringues FAQs
You probably didn't beat the meringues for long enough. Stop beating the meringues when stiff peaks form.
If your meringues look golden brown rather than white, you baked in an oven that was too hot. Meringues are very temperature sensitive and need to be baked at a low temperature; thus, the oven temperature setting needs to be accurate.
Store any leftover meringues in an airtight container at room temperature out of direct sunlight for up to 2 weeks. I do not recommend freezing meringues.
Custard-based recipes are ideal for using up leftover egg yolks. Try this White Chocolate Crème Brûlée or this Vanilla Bean Custard.
This recipe uses black food coloring to decorate the mini meringues with faces. Candy eyes can be difficult to find and fiddly to stick onto edible decorations; this method is fuss-free.
More Easy Meringue Recipes
This easy meringue recipe is the perfect introduction to baking the perfect meringues. This recipe is also dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-calorie, making it great for most party guests.
I am definitely making these spooky Halloween meringues again this year and topping this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting with them! See my collection of Easy and Delicious Cake Recipes for some inspiration.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at this Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae!
📖 Recipe
Ghost Meringues
Equipment
- 1x disposable piping bag
- 1x round piping nozzle
Ingredients
- 80 g egg whites
- 160 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- black gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F) fan-forced, and line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Start by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk in the egg whites.
- Add the whites to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at a low speed until little bubbles form.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whisk until the egg whites are white and frothy. Add the vinegar while the mixer is running.
- With the mixer running at high speed, add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Waiting about 45 sec between each addition.
- Once all of the sugar has been added, continue whipping the meringue for a further 10 minutes at high speed. At this stage, your meringue should have more than doubled in size, and stiff peaks should have formed. If you'd like to color the meringue mixture, you can do this now.
- When you lift the whisk out of the mixture, you want a very sturdy peak to form; this is when the meringue mixture is ready. If you do not mix the meringue for long enough, you will have issues when baking. You need to look for these peaks when whisking and piping; they are the best indication that your meringue has been whisked enough.
- Place the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with your chosen piping nozzle. Pipe the mini meringues onto your prepared trays.
- Bake the meringues in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the bottom of the mini meringues lifts easily off the parchment paper.
- Switch off the oven and allow the meringues to dry out in the oven for about 2 hours or overnight.
- Squeeze a small amount of black gel food coloring into a small bowl, then use a fine paintbrush to paint eyes and a mouth onto each meringue. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure there are no traces of egg yolks in the egg whites, and no traces of fat on the whisk or in the mixing bowl.
- Don't let the whipped meringues sit for too long before piping them. Otherwise, the texture will change, and you risk losing all your hard work.
- To get the perfect meringue tip, release the pressure on the piping bag and lift the bag upwards; this will create the perfect 'tail' or drip at the top of the meringue.
Lee says
These were so perfect for Halloween!