Coconut Meringue Cookies Recipe

I made homemade chocolate pudding the other day, which called for three egg yolks. With three egg whites left over, I decided to make meringue cookies to avoid food waste.

This recipe is adapted from The Fannie Farmer Junior Cook Book (1st Edition), a vintage cookbook I found at a thrift shop on Vancouver Island last year. There’s something really fun about paging through old cookbooks. So, so much has changed over the years, both in terms of method and ingredients used.

One recipe in this cookbook that made me laugh to myself was the “Sally Salad” – a salad that is arranged in such a way to resemble a girl. Lettuce leaves for a skirt, half a hard-boiled egg for a head, shredded carrots for hair, etc. Maybe I’ll make it soon and post it on my blog – just for a good laugh!

While many of the recipes in old cookbooks are certainly outdated, sometimes you stumble upon a hidden gem that has been overlooked or forgotten altogether. These are recipes that my grandparents might have made in the 1940′s or 1950′s. Recipes used to entertain family members on special occasions long ago. Recipes that didn’t cost a lot of money but probably took a lot of time. Recipes that enthusiastic cooks got excited about 60 years ago, just like I get excited about food blogs, cooking shows, and modern cookbooks today.

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Coconut Meringue Cookies Recipe

I opted to make brown sugar meringue cookies instead of ones using white sugar. Meringues made with white sugar kind of crumble in your mouth, while those made with brown sugar are softer and chewier. The brown sugar recipe requires a higher baking temperature (350F compared to 225F).

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup raw coconut flakes plus more for topping
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites until very stiff (until soft peaks form). Add brown sugar a spoonful at a time, beating well after each spoonful is added. Mix in vanilla, coconut flakes, and salt. Place meringue batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Sprinkle a few coconut flakes on top. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until meringues are nicely browned and chewy - but not dry.

Cookies / Dessert / Recipes

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