The Simple, Sweet Life

Recipes for a sweet day!

Home » Desserts » By Holiday » Halloween » Marshmallow Ghosts

Marshmallow Ghosts

by 29 Comments

Jump To Recipe Print Recipe

Share Something Sweet!

These homemade ghost marshmallows are sure to delight all the boys and ghouls this Halloween! Whether you’re enjoying hot cocoa, a spooky s’more or just looking to learn some marshmallow making basics, this post has you covered!

four cups of hot cocoa filled with marshmallow ghosts

Homemade marshmallows are one of my favorite things to make. They’re fun, the possibilities really are endless, and people are always impressed. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: hand piped marshmallows like these are super easy to make. No, really. The hardest part is having the patience to wait for them to dry out over night.

How to make marshmallow ghosts

First, make your marshmallow. You’ll need to prepare your gelatin, make a sugar syrup, and whip up some egg whites. Add your gelatin to your syrup, combine with your egg whites, and whip until fluffy.

Second, pipe your marshmallows onto powdered sugar dusted parchment paper. Personally, I like to make ghosts of varying sizes, but you could do all large ghosts if you’re pressed for time and don’t want to make as many. I also added little arms to some of mine.

Step-by-step photos for making ghost marshmallows

Third, wait for the marshmallows to dry (preferably over night, but at least 8 hours).

Fourth, coat in powdered sugar and decorate! I added simple faces to them using a black food marker and some pink powdered food coloring.

Step-by-step photos for making ghost marshmallows

How to make perfect marshmallow ghosts

Never made hand piped marshmallows? No worries! Here are some quick tips to help you make them right the first time around:

  • Hand piped marshmallows are all about consistency. You’ll want to whip your marshmallow until light and fluffy but still very malleable. You’ve nailed your consistency if you can pick up a spoonful of your freshly whipped marshmallow, drop it back into the bowl, and it reabsorbs in about 20 seconds.
  • Once your marshmallow is the right consistency, put it in a piping bag and pipe immediately. Marshmallow will slowly firm up, even in a warm room, so you’ll want to pipe your marshmallow immediately.
  • If your marshmallow gets too firm to work with, no worries. You can get it back to the right consistency by microwaving it using 5 second increments.
  • Grease AND dust your parchment paper with powdered sugar to make peeling off those marshmallows a breeze.
  • After drying overnight, the tops of your marshmallows will still be slightly sticky. Roll them in powdered sugar until they’re no longer sticky, and then brush them off so the powdered sugar doesn’t gum up your food marker.
  • Storage: homemade marshmallows will keep for about a month when stored in an airtight container in a cool place.

square cake pan filled with marshmallow ghosts with a cup of cocoa, a bowl of powered sugar, a spoon and a towel around the edges

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

Print

Marshmallow Ghosts

four cups of hot cocoa filled with marshmallow ghosts

★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews

These homemade ghost marshmallows are sure to delight the boys and ghouls in your life this Halloween! Whether you’re enjoying hot cocoa, a spooky s’more or just looking to learn some marshmallow making basics, this post has you covered!

  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 8 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: ~70 marshmallows
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water + 2 tbsp.
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tbsp gelatin powder (1 packet)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl stir together the gelatin and 2 tablespoons of (ice cold) water. Set aside so the gelatin can absorb the water.
  2. In a small saucepan whisk together the corn syrup, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until a candy thermometer registers 235F/113C.
  3. In the meantime, beat your egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
  4. Once the sugar mixture reaches the right temperature, whisk in the gelatin (be careful with your hands because it’s likely to release hot steam when you do this) and stir to dissolve.
  5. Slowly add the hot mixture and vanilla extract to the egg whites and whip until light and fluffy (about 5-7 minutes).
  6. Cover a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and dust with sifted powdered sugar.
  7. Spoon the marshmallow mixture into a piping bag and clip a small hole in the tip.
  8. To pipe the ghosts, pipe a circle of marshmallow. Ease up pressure on the piping bag and draw the marshmallow down and to a side to create a tail.
  9. Use the same technique to create arms.
  10. Allow your marshmallows to dry overnight.
  11. Gently peel the marshmallows from the parchment paper or dust a spatula generously with powdered sugar to gently lift them if they prove difficult.
  12. As you remove the marshmallows from the parchment, drag them through a small bowl of powered sugar to make sure they’re thoroughly coated. Dust them off so there’s no excess powdered sugar to clog up your food marker.
  13. Using a food marker, add eyes. You can also use powdered pink food coloring to create rosy cheeks.

Notes

  • Hand piped marshmallows are all about consistency. You want to whip your marshmallow until light and fluffy but still very malleable. If you pick up a spoonful of your freshly whipped marshmallow and drop it back into the bowl, it should reabsorb in about 20 seconds.
  • Once your marshmallow is the right consistency, put it in a piping bag and pipe immediately. Marshmallow will slowly firm up, even in a warm room, so you’ll want to pipe your marshmallow immediately.
  • If your marshmallow gets too firm to work with, no worries. You can get it back to the right consistency by microwaving it in the microwave using 5 second increments.
  • Grease AND dust your parchment paper with powdered sugar to make getting those marshmallows off a breeze.
  • After drying overnight, the tops of your marshmallows will still be slightly sticky. Roll them in powdered sugar until they’re no longer sticky, and then brush them off well so it doesn’t gum up your food marker.
  • Storage: homemade marshmallows will keep for about a month when stored in an airtight container in a cool place.

Marshmallow recipe adapted from Buttercream Blondie

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 marshmallow
  • Calories: 12
  • Sugar: 2.4g
  • Sodium: 1mg
  • Fat: 0g
  • Saturated Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 3g
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Protein: 2g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: halloween marshmallows, ghost marshmallows, halloween dessert

Did you make this recipe? You might also like…

Share Something Sweet!

Comments

  8. These have got to be…. “a few of my favorite things” …ever!! And I love how easy you make them sound 🙂 Thanks for the tips.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  10. This is by far my favorite Halloween post this year, I absolutely LOVE these and the photos are outstanding. Pinned!

    Reply

  14. These are super cute. I know my grandkids would love a batch of these for their hot chocolate. They would probably just eat them as is!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  15. Oh Claire! These are absolutely adorable! My very favorite part is the sweet, rosy little cheeks – that’s a darling touch! Terrific step-by-step photos and great tips to make sure they come out perfectly, too!

    Reply

  16. Dying!!!! These are the cutest little ghosts I’ve ever seen!!! I love your simple step by step process to make them too!! They are the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time!

    Reply

  21. How adorable! I love the little arms… too cute. Perfect in hot chocolate on a chilly evening!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  23. These are adorable!!! I love “cute” Halloween things so much more than spooky so these are right up my alley. I hope I have time to make them with my 3 year old before Halloween!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

the simple life as featured on country living, good housekeeping, food network canada, woman's world and craftsy