Growing up, my mom would always make dinner. She cooks the most incredible meals – mostly Lebanese, always delicious. When my mom was out of town, my dad would usually make eggs of some sort or we’d nibble from whatever my mom had prepared before she left. Despite the fact that my dad never really made meals growing up, he makes the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life (and I’ve had lots of desserts). Some of my favorites are strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate eclairs, I could go on and on…
Despite how amazing of a cook my mom is, she’s never really made dessert. And if she does, it’s one of her two specialties – apple crisp or meringues. I’m pretty sure she only makes those because they’re her own personal favorite desserts. (I don’t blame her, after she’s spent so much time preparing meals that me and my siblings and dad love over the years).
It’s a good thing I love both of those desserts. Especially the meringues. So, I decided to share my little twist on her classic strawberry meringues. These ones have a crunchy meringue base you can top with a layer of sweet coconut whipped cream and fresh berries. Feel like getting even fancier? Add a little basil on top.
As I’ve mentioned, I don’t do well with heavy creams and dairy. My mom makes this with fresh whipped cream, as you are welcome to do (it’s delicious that way too!), but mine are made with a coconut whipped cream. I’ve tested SEVERAL brands of coconut milk, but to keep it short I’ll tell you this: I’ve had the most success with Trader Joe’s coconut cream. Whenever possible, get full fat coconut cream or a really solid full fat coconut milk (give it a shake and if you hear anything sloshing around, put it down and try another. You don’t want sloshing. You want solid.) Then, stick it in the fridge for 24+ hours, scoop out the solid (save the liquid for some other purpose – like smoothies!), add a little powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and whip.
While the baking can take a little while, this dessert comes together fairly quick and prep is pretty painless. You can make the meringues ahead of time and assemble in less than 5 minutes after dinner. It’s the perfect summer dessert – packed full of fresh berries and light and refreshing. Not to mention, it’s less than 10 ingredients + dairy-free.
- MERINGUES
- 2 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sugar
- COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 14-oz can coconut whipped cream or solid, full fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- TOPPINGS
- 1-2 cups mixed berries (I use strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
- 5 leaves of basil, chopped
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put egg whites in a mixing bowl and let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Add cream of tartar and salt and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add vanilla extract and gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form, the meringue is shiny, and sugar is fully dissolved. (To test this: rub a little of the meringue between your fingers - you shouldn't feel sugar granules if it's fully dissolved)
- Place 5 even scoops on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Slightly flatten into 3.5-4 inch round crusts/cups with the back of the spoon. They should be about ½ to ¾ inch high.
- Bake at 225 degrees F for 2 hours or until set and dried out. Turn off the oven and leave meringues in the oven for about 2 hours.
- While the meringues are baking, chill a bowl in the fridge/freezer for ~10 minutes. Scrape out the hardened coconut cream (discarding or saving the liquid for later use) and whip on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until fully incorporated.
- To serve, top meringue with 1-2 tablespoons whipped cream, berries, and basil. Serve immediately.
- The meringues will stay fresh in an airtight container (with no toppings) for up to 1-2 weeks. The coconut whipped cream will keep in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. Only add toppings as soon as you are ready to serve them!
You can bake the meringues a day (or a couple days) before serving, so that all you have to do right before serving is assemble the toppings, making for an easy dessert for dinner parties.
The total time doesn't include the time in the oven, after baking, when the meringue is cooling/drying out.
If you feel like reading a little more about the “science” of meringues, check out this article by Food52. I generally followed these instructions to create my meringues. The first batch I made followed the sugar-to-egg white ratio, however, in subsequent batches, I decreased the sugar slightly since the meringues are topped with sweetened whipped cream.
[…] from many brilliant recipes/pictures I've seen. This specific meringue recipe is adapted from my berry basil meringues. If the meringues are a little chewy after baking, it means they aren't fully cooked/dried out. You […]