Meringue Ghosts

Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 16-24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips or 16 piece semisweet chocolate (very tiny pieces)

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2. 2

   Line 2 baking sheets with cooking parchment, or butter havile and dust with flour.

3. 3

   In a deep bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on highest speed until they form a thick foam. Continue beating, adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, every 30 seconds or so. Whip until meringue hold very stiff peaks.

4. 4

   Beat in vanilla. If using parchment, smear a little meringue on every corner to make it stick to baking sheets.

5. 5

   Spoon meringue into a pastry bag, fitted with 1/2 in plain tip (or spoon into heavy duty plastic bag and snip one corner to make 1/2 in opening).

6. 6

   Pipe meringue onto baking sheets into ghostly shapes, about 1/4 in-1/2 in thick , 2-4 in wide and 4-6 in long, spacing 2 inches apart. To make eyes (noses, mouths) press chocolate chips lightly into meringue.

7. 7

   Bake in oven until meringues begin to turn pale gold and are firm to touch. 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Switch pan positions halfway through baking. Turn off heat and leave meringues in closed oven for an hour.

8. 8

   Release ghosts with a spatula.