Let's Dish host Chris Koetke shows you how to make Halloween tombstone cookies

CLEVELAND - Chris Koetke of Let’s Dish gets into the ghoulish spirit with his yummy Halloween tombstone cookies, sure to delight you with fright.

Recipe for Halloween Tombstone Cookies:

Difficulty: Moderate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 5-6 minutes

Serves: 20 cookies

4 egg whites

1 heaping cup superfine sugar

1 cup Cheerios (original, honey nut, or multi-grain)

½ cup pecan pieces

Tube of black colored icing for garnishing

1. In a blender or food processor, grind the Cheerios and pecans together until a moderately fine powder.  (If over-processed, the oil in the pecans will come out, thus causing the mixture to clump up.)  Reserve.
2. Whip whites using the whisk attachment of a mixer.  (You can do this by hand, but it requires a lot of muscle.)  When the whites form soft peaks*, add 1/3 of the sugar.  Whip until the whites form firm peaks.  Take bowl off the mixer and fold in remaining sugar.  Fold in reserved Cherrie and pecan mixture.
3. Place mixture in a pastry bag with a ¼-inch round opening.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pipe 20 tombstones about ¼-inch thick on the parchment paper.  Try to pipe them as flat as possible.
4. Bake in a 200º F oven (basically warm) for 5-6 hours or until the cookies are very dry and brittle. 
5. Remove from oven, decorate with black icing and keep in an airtight container until ready to serve.  Warning:  These cookies are very susceptible to humidity and will soften unfavorably if exposed to humidity.  If the cookies do become soft, you can re-dry them again in the oven.

*To judge soft and firm peaks, turn off the mixer and pull the whisk from the egg whites.  When whipped to soft peak, the whites will form a point that will then curl over.  When whipped to firm peak, the whites will not curl over, but instead stand straight up.

Now these cookies are not only delicious, but they’re going to make your friends and family smile. You can find more recipes likes this on the Live Well network .