These Halloween meringue bones are even spookier than a skeleton. Think about it. Disembodied bones make a pretty spooky cookie when made out of meringue that’s baked low and slow until dry, dry, dry to the touch. You may even find yourself humming along to the Delta Rhythm Boys as you hand out dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones to little ghosts and goblins.
Common Questions
Ideally, meringues should be crisp with just a little chewiness. If you’ve ended up with meringues that are more like a marshmallow, that’s definitely gooey.
There are 2 possible reasons for this–it’s possible that you didn’t cook them long enough and they’re just a little underbaked. The other reason is humidity. If you live in a more-than-average humid environment, you might find they don’t get ultra-crisp.
To remedy this, you can always pop them back in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°F.
To keep your meringues dry and crispy, store them for up to 3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.
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Halloween Meringue Bones
Equipment
- Piping bag fitted with a plain 3/8-inch tip
Ingredients
- 1 cup superfine sugar, (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
- 3 1/2 ounces (3 to 4 large eggs) egg whites
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour the sugar into a baking dish and slide it in the preheated oven for about 4 minutes, until the sugar is hot to the touch. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 225˚F (110˚C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and salt until foamy.
- Quickly tip all the hot sugar into the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until the meringue is very thick, super glossy, and white, 6 to 8 minutes. The meringue should hold soft peaks and, if you're feeling bold and are so inclined to turn the bowl upside down and hold it over your head, the meringue should stay put.
- Spoon the meringue into the piping bag or spoon it into a large resealable plastic bag and snip off 1 of the bottom corners. Pipe a strip about 4 inches long on the baking sheet. Pipe 2 small blobs of meringue on each end of the log to make a bone shape. It may take a couple of practice tries to get them to look the way you want. Repeat, spacing the bones a decent distance apart from each other.
- Bake the meringue bones for about 40 minutes, until crisp and dry to the touch. (The larger your bones, the longer it will take for them to turn crisp and dry.)
- Turn the oven off but leave the bones inside until they cool to room temperature. The meringue bones will keep in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
These meringue bones are a cinch to make and perfect for decorating your Halloween table with or gobbling by your little ghosts and gremlins. For added reality, you could dip the ends in strawberry jam or toss the bones in a pile of crushed chocolate-cookie “dirt.”
Be sure to whip the meringue until soft peaks form so it retains its skeletal shape, and bake until dry to the touch. Boo!
