BOO! These ghost cookies are light, airy and adorably spooky! Classic vanilla meringue cookies are transformed into little ghosts in this recipe making them the perfect sweet treat for Halloween or scary themed game nights!
These Airy Ghost Cookies are frequent FLYERS (see what I did there) for game nights. They are my go to cookies to bake because the recipe makes a BUNCH plus they are gluten and dairy free for our friends with food sensitivities.
Click here to download the full recipe!
Ingredients for Airy Ghost Cookies
- Egg Whites
This is where you will have to plan ahead, as the eggs cannot be cold to make these cookies. Place them out on the counter for a few hours to come to room temperature before you’re ready to make them. If you don’t want to waste the egg yolks, you can save them and use them for breakfast by mixing them with one new egg and making a scramble.
- Cream Of Tartar & Salt
If you don’t already have this in your pantry, you can easily find it in the spice section of most grocery stores. Regular table salt is best for this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar
You want to be sure to use granulated sugar, which is more finely ground that other sugars. Using a larger grain sugar will result in chunky meringue!
- Vanilla Extract
Vanilla is our preferred flavor for these cookies, but if you like, you can substitute other extracts such as almond and peppermint. Be careful with peppermint as it tends to be stronger than other extracts. If you are subbing the flavor of the cookies we feel you should do so by halving the amount of vanilla you use and other half using the other flavor.
- Chocolate Chips
We like to use dairy free chocolate chips such as enjoy life. You will melt them down and use a tooth pick to make dots and lines for the faces of your ghosts!
How to make Airy Ghost Cookies
- Separate 4 large eggs. Keep the whites and save the yolks for another recipe.
- Set the egg whites on the counter for a couple of hours to come to room temperature.
- Once eggs are at room temp, preheat oven to 222’F (105’C) and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl
- Use a hand mixer or Stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on low speed until mixture becomes frothy
- Increase your speed to high and slowly add in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Be sure to stir after each tablespoon of sugar is added until fully dissolved before adding the next.
- Once all sugar has been added, beat on high until it is thick and shiny. You should see stiff peaks when you lift the whisk out of the mixture.
- Stir in the vanilla extract or extract of choice.
- Take a large Ziploc bag and spoon the meringue into the bag.
- Cut a small hole in one corner of the bag and begin piping the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet making sure to use a circular motion and make each cookie the same size. Don’t worry about leaving a lot of space between each cookie as these will not spread when baking. You should have about 50 cookies.
- Bake for 1 hour. Turn off your oven and do not open the door. Leaving the oven closed, allow the cookies to cool completely in the oven for about 1-2 hours. This helps them to dry out which makes them light and airy.
- Once the cookies are cool and dry, remove them from the oven.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips in the microwave.
- Using a toothpick, make dots for eyes and lines for the mouths of our little ghost friends.
- Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy! Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Keep away from any moisture as this will soften the cookies and affect the taste.
Click here to download the full recipe!
