Crispy cocoa swirl coconut meringues
Pesky egg whites, the freezer seems to be over run with batches of three.
The choices for using them seem so limited, all meringue based, pavlova, macaroon, macarons. A little sweet treat to enjoy with coffee seems the most obvious choice, but the pantry is a bare. I’m completely out of nuts so that strikes amaretti, and macadamia meringues off the list. There are no walnuts either for our favourite meringue with coffee, coconut seems my only option, ho hum.
Then looking as the glossy mix in the bowl I had visions of chocolate swirls……
Meringues have a reputation for being temperamental, humidity it’s worst enemy. Making meringue by hand is hard work, and personally, I wouldn’t bother without a stand mixer. For those lucky enough to own a mixer and live in a temperate zone, here are my tips for success.
1. Use a scrupulously clean bowl when whisking egg whites, preferably stainless steel. Oil has a tendency to cling to plastic and it will inhibit the egg whites trapping air
2. The egg whites should be at room temperature, 20C or more.
3. A pinch of salt will help the egg whites aerate.
4. Fine grained sugar is preferable and it should be added very slowly.
5. When you think the meringue has finished whisking, test to make sure that the sugar has completely dissolved by rubbing a small amount between the tip of your fore finger and thumb. It should not feel gritty. Keep beating if it does.
6. According to Stephanie Alexander, the ideal egg white to sugar ratio is 1 egg white to 60g sugar. I find this works perfectly and allows infinite flexibility with egg white numbers.
7. Meringue needs to be dried out rather than baked, so keep the oven temperature low, 120C-130C and turn the fan off if possible.
8. Allow the meringue to rest in the oven with the heat off.
9. Store in a well sealed airtight container.
110g egg whites (3 eggs) at room temperature
Pinch of salt
180g castor sugar
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 130C. Line two oven proof trays with baking paper.
Whisk the egg whites and sugar into firm peaks. Slowly add the sugar one spoonful at a time continuing to whisk the egg whites. After all the sugar has been incorporated, continue whisking until it has all dissolved. Test the mixture by rubbing a little together with the tips of the forefinger and thumb. If you feel gritty sugar grains, continue to whisk until the mixture feels smooth.
Fold the coconut into the meringue, then sift the cocoa into the mixture and very roughly fold it through.
Drop dessertspoons full of mixture onto the baking trays allowing room for the meringue to spread a little.
Bake for 45 minutes at 130C, turn off the oven and allow the meringues to rest in the oven for a further 45 minutes.
Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Makes 2 dozen.
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24 comments on “Crispy cocoa swirl coconut meringues”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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Light, crunchy and delicious…my kind of a treat to enjoy in the evening after dinner. Perhaps with a small glass of port. 🙂
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Yes that would be a lovely way to wind down at the end of the day…
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I often end up with extra whites – but these look amazing!
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Thanks. I just wish there were some other more exciting way to use up egg white other than meringue…
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I know what you mean! Sometimes I’ll add them to an omelet or scrambled eggs, but I really don’t like my eggs like that as much, even though it’s supposed to be a bit healthier – although I’m not sure that the yolks are such the culprit that many made them out to be.
Now and then, I’ll make Angelfood cake, especially in the summer when berries and fruit are so good!
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First I thought it was ice cream, and then I realized 😛 I loved your meringue’s photos!
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Thanks so much M
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A very valuable, educating post. I love the tips for successful handling of egg-whites/meringue making spelled out. And, you made delicious cocoa-coconut meringues I sure would like to make.
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Thanks Fae. So many small details make the difference between success and failure, hopefully it will help someone out there….
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Egg whites in the freezer? Never occurred to me. Do you whisk them first? Freezer bag? Nice photo.
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Hi Stacey, no need to do anything with the egg whites before freezing them. I pop them into a small airtight container and label how many inside. They need to be thoroughly thawed and at room temperature before you can whisk them. Egg white will keep for a couple of months frozen.
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Wonderful and delicious! Love the pictures, so beautiful!
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Thanks so much Serena
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Delicious and it love your opening photo. Fab.
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Gee thanks Cheery
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Hi Sandra. Egg whites are the blight of my life. I have 12 in the freezer at the moment. Hazelnut meringues are on my to do list. Yours is an interesting combo. I also go with SA’s 60g of sugar per egg white.
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Have you tried Celia’s spiced nuts? They’re divine, especially macadamias. Only 1 white per 500g of nuts sadly, but well worth it never the less.
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These are beautiful and I like the flavour combo! I agree with you regarding the drying process rather than “baking” and have found that letting them sit overnight in a warm oven which has been turned off works very well for me. Meringue is so tricky here in the UK as it is damp/moist/humid nearly all the time.
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How do you use leftover egg whites Deb if making meringue is so temperamental for you?
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I have a few egg white cake recipes – one I posted on that also uses poached quinces. I do make macarons (chocolate chip ones are my favourite), but have to leave them in the oven for a long time and then keep them tightly sealed in an air-lock container once taken out.
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I still have some poached quinces in the freezer, with at least 6 egg whites, i’ll check it out!
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These look great, and you make it sound so easy. Coconut and cocoa are always in the pantry so I might give these a go.
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I’ll send you some of my excess egg whites…..
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