Spooky Meringue Ghosts

1. Preheat your oven to 120°C/Fan 100°C/Gas ½. Line 1 large or 2 small baking trays with baking paper.

2. Separate the egg white and yolks (save the yolks in an airtight tub for omelettes, quiche or making hollandaise sauce). Add the whites to a large, clean, non-plastic mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk or mixer, whisk the eggs whites till they stand in stiff peaks. Mixing slowly, add the icing sugar 1 tbsp at a time and whisk till incorporated.

3. Spoon the meringue mix into a piping bag with a large round tip (approximately the diameter of a £1 coin). Alternitively use a freezer bag and snip the end off so you have a hole the same diameter as a £1 coin.

4. Holding the bag upright, pipe the meringue mixture onto the baking paper-lined tray, pressing down and lifting to create layered stacks for each ghost (release the pressure just a tiny bit, pulling up on your icing bag at the same time in between each layer). You should make 20-24 meringue ghosts.

5. Slide the meringues into the oven for 1 hr. The meingues should be hard on the outisde and chewy inside. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

6. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Dip the end of a cocktail stick into the melted chocolate and dot a pair of eyes onto each ghost. Draw a scary mouth on too if you like. Let the chocolate set, then serve as part of a spooky Halloween tea.

7. Store to scare
The meringue ghosts will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container. They won't be as chewy, but still scarily delicious.