Halloween – Chocolate Mint Diseased Skeleton Bones (Cookies!!)

This is really a basic “meringue cookie” recipe, but for Halloween.  The peppermint flavor was always a favorite with the kids around, and for me, especially, as peppermint cookies were always a little different.   With the addition of the mini chocolate chips, the bones take on a decidedly “diseased” look.

Enjoy!

This is the shape the "bones" should be

Chocolate Mint Diseased Skeleton Bones (Cookies!!)

(aka Chocolate Mint Meringues)

3 large eggs, whites only
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 200F and line two baking sheets with parchment or baking paper.

Beat the egg whites with cream of tarter and salt until quite fluffy.  Slowly add in the sugar, and the peppermint.

Place the mixture in a pastry bag, if you have one.  If you don’t have a pastry bag, place the mixture into a large (gallon sized) ziplock bag, and cut off the very tip.  Go small with the cut, and make it larger if needed.  Even a small cut can end up really large once you start piping.

Next, pipe out “bone shapes” onto the parchment paper.  Don’t make these too small — 2-3 inches.  The shapes can be whatever you think a bone would look like, but I usually do them in a shape of the capital letter ” I “, as above, or like a small moon. Leg bones and ribs, you know ;)

Put both baking sheets in the oven, and then bake for one hour.  Then turn off the oven and allow the cookies to set for another hour.  This should make about 5 dozen or so.

Notes:

• We’ve always called these “diseased” looking cookies.  For the less “diseased” look, leave out the chocolate chips ;)
• You can safely leave out the chocolate chips and cocoa
• If you can let these dry in the oven overnight (no heat!!), they are even better.
• Use whatever flavoring you like — Peppermint, Spearmint, Wintergreen (my fav), almond, vanilla, rum.. up to you and whatever you prefer.
• You can, of course, make these as traditional meringue cookies, just pipe, or spoon these onto the parchment and proceed as instructed.