Brown sugar and coffee cream meringues

If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it’s to really appreciate the simple things – a cup of coffee, a sweet treat or a flick through your favourite magazine (ahem!).

To celebrate our continuing return to normality, I’ve put together a recipe for these brown sugar coffee meringues. They’re a quick, simple and impressive dessert to enjoy with a coffee after a dinner party or a lazy Sunday lunch with family and friends.

I used Pablo & Rusty’s Porter St Specialty Coffee Concentrate to get the flavour into the cream, and I can definitely recommend a bottle for your baking, morning shake or iced coffee needs.

INGREDIENTS
4 egg whites (approx 120g)
240g soft light brown sugar
400ml double cream
30ml coffee concentrate
1tbsp icing sugar
40g chocolate, finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone baking mat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until soft white peaks form, being careful not to overbeat – you don’t want the egg whites looking like cotton wool.

Once you have soft peaks, begin adding the sugar 1tbsp at a time, beating for a few seconds between each addition. Continue until you’ve used all the sugar and the meringue becomes stiff and glossy.

Spoon the mixture on to your prepared baking tray, splitting it into six equal portions. To make sure they aren’t spread too thin, dollop quite a small, high pile and then slowly flatten and spread out with the back of your spoon. Bake for one hour, or until the base of the meringues come away from the paper or mat easily.

Once baked, turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven for a further hour, before removing to cool completely.

When you’re ready to serve, in the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric whisk, whip the double cream along with the icing sugar and coffee concentrate in the bowl until stiff, fluffy peaks form. Again, be careful not to overwhip. If you do and your whipped cream splits, don’t worry – just gradually add more cream until it is smooth again.

Plate up each meringue with a generous dollop of coffee cream, and sprinkle with chocolate to finish. Enjoy with a cup of coffee.