Originally posted on my LJ Blog August 9, 2012

I was about 20 when I first discovered the delight of making meringue shells from a Betty Crocker Cookbook, which I still have and use. The first time I was on a low carb diet, I quickly adapted the recipe to sugar-free. Sadly, the sweeteners in those days weren’t as good as they are now and the shells, as well as all the other sugar-free desserts I made back then, tended to have a not-so-pleasant aftertaste. With present day sweeteners tasting and behaving like sugar without the aftertaste, desserts are easier and tastier than ever.  Meringue cookies and shells are easy to make and melt in your mouth like magic and don’t add inches to your hips.

The original recipe I used was called “Cherry Berries On A Cloud” and the meringue was shaped into a bowl with raised sides to hold a wonderful filling of cherries and whipped cream. Since cherries are very high in carbohydrates, I replaced them with fresh strawberries. Yummy! The bonus is the meringue is easy to shape into whatever design you might want for the dessert, be it a circle, a diamond, or a heart, so it’s pretty versatile. I’ve included my updated recipe for this below that now incorporates chocolate chips and nuts as well as low carb yogurt. Please note that it is important, and essential, to let the meringues dry out in the oven. If you don’t give them at least two hours to dry, you’ll have, as my most recent batch attested, a cookie that is more like a meringue on a pie than a crunchy, melt away cookie.

Strawberries on a Cloud

Meringue shell:
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup sugar substitute of choice (I usually use a combination of Splenda and liquid sucralose)
½ cup sugar free chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
1 pint of fresh strawberries, halved
2 cups of CarbMaster’s flavored yogurt of choice (strawberry white chocolate is delicious!)
½ cup sugar substitute
1 cup of whipped cream or whipped topping

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper, spray with cooking spray or use a silicon mat. Draw an 8 inch circle or other shape about the same size on the paper. Or just make eight 2 inch rounds on the tray.

In a clean small bowl, whip egg whites until they are foamy, add cream of tartar and continue to beat until peaks begin to form. Gradually add the sugar substitute and continue to beat until stiff. Fold vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts into the whipped egg whites carefully.

Spread the meringue over the circle you’ve drawn and build the edges of the shell as you hollow out the center. If you would like, you can make a ¼ inch layer of meringue on the paper, then put the rest of the meringue into a plastic bag, cut the end with a small hole and make the sides of the shell with this. If you’re doing individual shells, then just hollow the centers out and build up the edges for each shell. I’ve pictured an individual serving.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then turn the oven off and let shells dry out in the oven for at least two hours.

Beat whipped cream in a bowl until it begins to get stiff, then add in sugar substitute gradually and continue to beat until stiff.

Fill the center of your pie shell with the yogurt, arrange berries on top, then add dollops of whipped cream around the edge. For individual ones, put in about two tablespoons of yogurt, top with several berries, a dollop of whipped cream and a berry or two on the top. I also used blueberries with mine. You can assemble the large shell, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate before serving, but don’t do it more than a couple of hours before serving. For individual ones, assemble just before you serve them.

Makes 8 servings, approximately 110 calories, 4.5 net carbs per serving.

Meringue Cookies

The same recipe for meringue will make about 40 to 48 cookies. Simply drop by a teaspoonful, using another teaspoon to push the meringue onto the baking tray (be sure to spray with cooking spray so they won’t stick to the parchment paper or silicon mat). For variety, fold in chopped craisins or other chopped dried fruit to the mixture. They will add about 1 carb to the net carb count, but they are delicious in the meringue.

You can also make cocoa meringues by adding 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (check for a low carb count on the can) to the egg whites as you are mixing in the sugar. You can omit the chocolate chips and nuts if you wish and just have a plain meringue.

Experiment with other flavorings like orange, almond, banana, etc. for different flavors in the meringue. You can also make a sandwich cookie by putting a tablespoon of whipped cream or a whipped cream and cream cheese combo, flavored with mint, orange, banana, or whatever you’d like to try, between two of the cookies. Have fun! Meringues are a fun, tasty low-carb treat!