Once a year, I buy a huge box of organic cherries. We don’t eat much fruit at home, because it does add up in our bodies as sugar. In summer however, it is a crime to pass all these incredible organic fruits up as they come into season. So we celebrate with less in quantity, but the best we can find and enjoy every bite! Cherry and chocolate I love together and I started on a dessert daydream and then meringues came into the picture!
Meringues are usually full of fast burning, liver punishing refined sugar, and so, rather than never eat one again (sooooo not an option!!) I’ve created a new version and dressed each of the chewy sweeties with gorgeous chocolate cream and in-season cherries. If it’s winter where you are, substitute the cherries, with fine diced pear – there’s no need for you to go without for 11 months of the year! The meringues will be more crisp in winter too with the dry air!
Real Treats. Happy Bodies. Actually… Very Happy!!
Mini Chewy Meringues with Chocolate Cherry Cream
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 2/3 tsp lemon juice
- 60 ml rice malt syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder or extract (
For the chocolate cherry cream
- 1 tsp cocoa powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiled water
- 1 cup real cream ( whole additive-free from a wholefood store will give you the best result and Ayam coconut cream if you’re doing dairy free)
- 1 tbsp rice malt syrup
- 1 handful ( whole additive-free from a wholefood store will give you the best result and Ayam coconut cream if you’re doing dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150C and have a tray ready with parchment and a light greasing of coconut oil or butter
- Place your lemon juice and 2 eggwhites into a very clean, metal mixing bowl
- Using a handheld electric beater or kitchen aid, beat until stiff peaks appear.
- Then, drizzle very slowly in the rice syrup until it’s all in there, and then finally the vanilla bean and cinnamon powders
- Spoon tablespoons worth onto the parchment. They can be nice and close together as they won’t ‘spread’ like cookies do.
- Bake for 50 minutes, then turn oven off, leaving them in there as the oven cools.
- Once cool, you can use straight away for a really chewy soft base, OR to get them to crisp up, I suggest doing this the day before and popping a tray of them into the fridge uncovered over night.
- To make your cream, whip the cream and then combine your chocolate and cherry chunks, leaving the whole cheeks for garnish. For using coconut cream, find a brand like Ayam that is additive free, meaning it’s nicely separated from the water in the can. Pour the water off to use for something else like a smoothie, and just whip the thick cream.
- Place a dollop of the chocolate cherry cream onto each meringue and then your cherry cheek onto that.
Comments 3
Oh I just made these and they are delicious!! Beautiful texture, lovely flavours, really yummy – thank you!
Author
Oh yay Mel! Thanks so much for letting me know!