Ok kids, I know it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted. I needed a little break. But then I was so busy those couple of weeks I don’t feel like I had much of a break. Sooo-fyi. . I may take another little blog break in the coming months.
I want to share these meringues with you today. Perfect for a new year and the inevitable dieting/healthy eating that comes along with that.
But first, I thought I might share a little photo montage of my birthday weekend. Mostly because it’s all about food and there were some pretty cakes involved!
First there were Malted Milk Ball Crispy Treats. Tim surprised me with these one night when I got home from work! Aren’t they fabulous!!! Love them!
Then there was this cake. Coconut cake with a guava filling. Also made by my sweet Tim to surprise me a few nights after the crispy treats. (Pretty sure he is fattening me up!)
Of course there was a night on the town that started off with some Red Fish Vodka. (yes, as in Swedish Fish tasting vodka.) It was lovely!
After a couple more Red Fish Vodkas, there was a yummy mousse cake presented by my wonderful friends.
The next night Tim took me out for a seafood dinner after taking me shopping all day. Queen Crab was awesome. And also Tim made me feel like a queen, as usual!
Yes-we love crawfish. Such a scary and yet sort of oddly romantic food.
The weekend was punctuated the next night by dessert with the family. Dessert made and presented by my aunt. Pina Colada cake. With icing so yummy I wanted to lie in a vat of it.
Coconut was the theme, apparently. They know me well, it is a favorite of mine. Anything that tastes the way sunscreen smells is ok by me.
Which bring me to the meringues I made this past weekend.
While making my surprise coconut cake, Tim toasted coconut to use while decorating the cake. There was some left over in the pantry. I was about to make mint chocolate meringues when Tim inspired me to use up the coconut and not use the mint at all. What a great idea. (I tell you, I just do the baking. Tim’s the idea guy.)
By the way, did you notice my sweet new dish towel? Hand embroidered by my aunt on a flour sack dish towel. (My favorite kind of dish towel.) A fantastic birthday gift! I don’t want to use it and get it dirty! I guess I need more of them. . .
So I made these Saturday. And then they sat in plain site on the counter all day Saturday and Sunday. And I ate one every time I walked through the kitchen. Good thing they are slightly better for you than a regular cookie because they are lower carb. Or at least I will tell myself that.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Meringues
4 egg whites (I used liquid egg whites from a carton. 3 tbsp=1 egg white)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp coconut extract
pinch of salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted and cooled completely
Toast your coconut in the oven and set aside to cool. (You can google how to do this if you don’t know how. Or buy pre-toasted coconut.
In the a large bowl beat the egg whites until the are starting to get soft peaks. I use my stand mixer to make this step easy. Add the cream of tartar and the sugar and beat on high until the egg whites get shiny and hold a firm peak. You now have meringue.
Gently add the extract and salt. Very gently fold in the chocolate chips and coconut. Scoop by tablespoon full onto parchment lined baking sheets. You must line the baking sheets!!! So important, as these will stick! Or use Silpats if you have them. That’s what I used on one tray of them and the Silpat worked wonderfully to make sure they didn’t stick. (I used a 1 oz disher to scoop my meringue onto the lined baking sheets.)
Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and allow the trays to cool in the oven for another hour.
This makes about 4 dozen meringues.
Sugar Coated Sarah 