If you're looking for a lighter dessert than cake or ice cream, meringue clouds are a great alternative, and can be served with local fresh fruit, making for a dessert with just a hint of sweetness.
Recipe for Coconut Clouds
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (plus more for topping)
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Directions:
- Beat egg whites with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and foamy. It is essential that there is no grease or oil in the bowl when you beat the egg whites, or they will not thicken. This is why is it best to use a glass or a metal bowl for this step.
- Mix sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a separate bowl.
- Add sugar mixture to egg whites and beat in 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Fold in shredded coconut, being sure to keep as much volume as possible in the egg-white mixture.
- Drop by wooden spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
- Bake in a 400 degrees F oven for one hour, or until the outside is firm and the shredded coconut on top is slightly toasted. Makes about 7.
This recipe can be adapted for various flavours:
- almond extract instead of coconut extract, and then sprinkling sliced almonds on top
- caramel or butterscotch extract with toffee bits on top
- espresso coffee in the meringues and sprinkle cocoa powder or chocolate shavings on top
- lemon, lime, or orange zest, with the juices or extracts added (be careful with these, though -- as they add more liquid, it is better to decrease the temperature to about 200 degrees F and let them cook for longer)
- mix and match: mint extract with mini chocolate chips -- add a bit of green food colouring for St. Patrick's Day or Christmas
- eggnog extract dusted with nutmeg
Alternative cooking method
An alternative to cooking the meringue clouds at 400 degrees F for an hour is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, put the tray of meringues in the oven, and turn the oven off. The residual heat will cook the meringues overnight. These are commonly called 'forgotten cookies', and yield a slightly different texture from the original cooking method -- the original coconut clouds will be firm on the outside with an airy, chewy interior, whereas forgotten cookies are generally slightly crunchy throughout. The forgotten cookie method, may, however, be a preferred method when experimenting with more temperamental ingredients, such as the citrus zests mentioned above.
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