Halloween Meringues
By Jennifer Shadoff of Jennybeaned
Meringues are a great airy, lightweight sweet treat and are also gluten-free. While traditionally made from egg whites, this vegan version is just as tasty! For a spooky twist, you can turn your meringues into little ghosts or mummies for a cute party snack. This makes for the perfect treat to share and only uses 4 ingredients!
The key to making vegan meringues is to use unsalted or less salted canned chickpeas and to bake until completely dry or else the meringues will collapse or become gummy.
Another tip that’s extremely important is that making vegan meringues is best using an electric or stand mixer. This allows for a higher speed in order to whip up the perfect fluffy meringues as aquafaba (juice from a can of chickpeas) is less dense than egg whites.
The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting for your yummy treats to be ready to eat. They will need to stay baking low and slow for at least 1-2 hours depending on how many you put on the tray and what altitude you’re in. If you’re ever unsure about your meringues being cooked, the best way to find out is to just remove them from the oven, let them cool, and taste test!
Halloween Meringues
Ingredients
¾ cup Aquafaba (water drained from unsalted or less salted canned chickpeas)
¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
¾ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Sprinkles (optional)
Directions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200℉.
Put the aquafaba and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl and beat on low speed until fluffy. Once the aquafaba looks a bit foamy, add sugar a few tablespoons at a time. You may need to stop every now and again to scrape down the sides. When stiff peaks form, the meringue is ready. Stiff peaks (Approximately 6 minutes)
Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe even mounds onto the prepared parchment paper. For a mummy meringue, pipe swirls.
Bake between 1-2 hours and rotate the pan halfway through. If you made small, bite-sized meringues, opt for the less time. Meringues are a bit difficult to determine whether they’re baked through or not so I always like to go by the taste test method.
Decorate your mummies or ghosts as you wish! I opted for large sprinkles and applied them using leftover wet meringue.
Store in a cool, dry place or airtight container. Best consumed on the same day.
