Meringue Skeleton Bones

October 31: Halloween

Brittle bones are scary if diagnosed with osteoporosis like Islander. But ‘dem bones make for frightfully fun fat-free cookies for Halloween and All Souls’ Day/El Día de los Muertos (Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 2). They also make for an incorrect but interesting anatomy lesson and an (incr)edible evangelization experience when discussing Ezekiel 37:1-14!

Recipe

(Adapted from Britta)

• 3 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup sugar (granulated white)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

With a handmixer or in a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and pinch of salt until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until shiny. Stir in the vanilla.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (we used Wilton tip 10) with the meringue. Pipe 3-inch long bone shapes on top of a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees F for an hour. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues to dry for another hour. Remove from the oven and carefully peel off the meringues from the parchment paper. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve on a platter. Yield: Approximately 3-4 dozen meringue skeleton bone cookies.

Notes

• Lyrics, music and video of the spiritual song “Dem Bones” or “Dry Bones” can be found on the Kididdles website.
• October 20 is World Osteoporosis Day. Please pray for those afflicted with this bone condition and support any research, education and awareness programs.