Easy to spook up these meringues for Halloween with mini chocolate buttons.

Makes 25-35
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp tartar
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips or buttons

Preheat oven to 100C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Finally mix in vanilla extract.

Test the meringue by rubbing a little bit between your fingers. If you can still feel a grittiness from the sugar it needs more whisking until all the sugar has dissolved.

Stick the baking paper to the trays with a little meringue under each corner.

Transfer the meringue into an icing bag with a 1-2cm-wide nozzle. Pipe little mounds of meringue as high as you want but make them all uniform.

Add 2 buttons for eyes.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours then turn off oven, open door ajar and let meringues dry out overnight.

The meringues will keep for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.