Meringue Ghosts

By Christy Rost

Ingredients:

3		egg whites, at room temperature
½		teaspoon cream of tartar
¾		teaspoon vanilla
1		cup sugar
2		tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy; add vanilla and continue whipping until whites form soft peaks. Add sugar, a little at a time, and continue whipping until meringue forms stiff peaks and appears glossy.

Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco #4). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, adding a dab of meringue to each corner of the cookie sheet to secure the parchment.

Pipe 4-inch ghosts starting with a triangle-shaped head, then arms and body. Pipe two additional layers until ghosts are ¾-inch thick. Use mini chocolate chips to create eyes and mouths.

Bake at 225 degrees for 1 hour; then turn off oven and allow ghosts to dry 3-4 hours with door closed. Peel off parchment paper, cool ghosts completely on a wire rack, then store between layers of parchment or wax paper in airtight containers up to 3 days.

Recipe makes 12-14 ghosts.