Ingredients
Method
Make the meringue ghosts
- Separate the cold eggs one at a time, dropping each white into a very clean, dry mixing bowl. If any yolk or grease touches the whites, start again. Refrigerate the yolks for another use and let the whites sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beating.
- Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time, beating constantly, until the meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks. Rub a small amount between your fingers to check that it feels smooth, then beat in the vanilla.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, using a dab of meringue under each corner to help the paper stay flat.
- Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag, or into a gallon-size zip-top bag with a 1/2-inch opening snipped from a lower corner. Pipe freeform ghost shapes about 2 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches tall, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently press two miniature chocolate chips into each ghost for eyes.
- Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, rotating and swapping the baking sheets halfway through, until the ghosts are lightly golden and dry. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside with the door closed for 1 hour before removing them to cool completely.
Nutrition
Notes
Use a spotlessly clean bowl and beaters; any trace of grease or egg yolk can keep the meringue from whipping up.
Superfine sugar can replace granulated sugar if you want the meringue to dissolve even faster.
On humid days, bake the ghosts a few minutes longer and store them in a dry, airtight container to prevent stickiness.
A sturdy zip-top bag works perfectly if you do not have a piping bag.
Keep baked ghost meringue cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
For deeper vanilla flavor, add the seeds from a quarter vanilla bean along with the extract.
