Fix Me A Snack

Here we have a chocolate meringue with fresh whipped cream and crushed strawberries – a mini pavlova. 

As I was preparing the meringues, my husband was kind enough to tell me they look like pertrified dog poop. So I guess this snack doesn’t score a 10 for presentation, but the kids didn’t seem bothered in the least.

This recipe is substantially lower in sugar than any other pavlova recipe I’ve seen.  It’s a relatively light snack all around, except for the whipped cream. But you can’t not have the whipped cream.

 For the meringue:

3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 ounce dark chocolate, chopped very fine

For the whipped cream:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1-2 tablespoons sugar

For the strawberries:

6 frozen strawberries (about 1/3 cup), thawed
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a standing electric mixer, whip the egg whites, sugar, cocoa powder, and vinegar on medium-high speed until semi-stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces with a rubber spatula. Spoon the meringue mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about a 1/3 cup at a time. Create a heart shape, if desired.

Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until outer shell has formed and the meringues are not terribly difficult to remove from the parchment. Allow to cool on the pan.

Meanwhile, make your whipped cream by pouring the heavy cream and sugar into a bowl and beating it with an electric mixer until peaks form. If it’s an especially hot day, put the bowl in the freezer for a while before you begin. Store the whipped cream an airtight container in the refrigerator until the meringues are ready.

Meanwhile, drain any excess liquid off the strawberries. Crush the berries and sugar in a small bowl with a fork until they are broken down. Cover and keep at room temperature until the meringues are ready.

To assemble simply place a dollop of whipped cream on top of each meringue and top with 1-2 teaspoons of crushed strawberries. Serve immediately.

Yield: 10 mini heart-shaped pavlovas
Prep-time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 1 1/2 hours

 Print

These are otherwise known as Pavlovas. But I can barely say ‘pavlova’, much less my kids. Good tongue twister, bad name for a kid snack.  My kids came up with name while stuffing their faces. There were no leftovers.

Crispy Clouds have a delightful mouthfeel. They remind me of eating a roasted marshmallow, but take away the heat and sugar overload.

3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon agave nectar or sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt

3/4 cup whipped cream (give or take)
1 cup fresh raspberries (give or take)

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Place the egg whites, agave, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the egg white mixture on medium high speed until peaks form. Turn off mixer and detach bowl. Transfer large spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the scoops at least an inch apart. Make a well in the center of each scoop with the back of the spoon. They should be approximately 4-inches wide once the wells are created.

Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the clouds are stiff and willing to detach from the parchment paper.

Allow the clouds to cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Gently remove from parchment paper and transfer to serving plate. Garnish each cloud with approximately 1 tablespoon whipped cream and a heaping tablespoon of berries. Serve.

Makes 12 clouds
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 1 1/2 hours

Note: Raspberries can be replaced by any soft fresh fruit.

 Print

In a small bowl, mix together nut butter, dates, cereal, cream cheese, and honey with a metal spoon. Don’t be shy about crushing the cereal as you stir. Continue to stir until the cereal is broken up into small bits. Set aside.

Spread the bread slices out a level surface and flatten them with a rolling pin as much as possible. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the nut butter mixture onto each slice depending on the size of the bread. Smaller slices should have 2 tablespoons and medium or large slices should have 3 tablespoons. Roll up each slice as tightly as possible without ripping the bread. Cut each tube into 1/2-inch thick slices and serve.

Makes 4-5 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes

Note: If you don’t have any dates in your pantry, try replacing them with raisins.

 Print

No added sugar! That counts for something, right? These are bit more time-intensive than I’d like. But I managed to make them with a house full of my own kids and some guests running around today. The only part that required much thought was making the chocolate mixture and then all I had to do was check on them in the freezer a couple times, and viola I had an extremely well-received afternoon snack.

3 tablespoons nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1 1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, slighly softened

In a small saucepan, stir the chocolate chips and nut butter over medium low heat until smooth. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat. Add cereal to saucepan and stir with a rubber spatula until well coated.

Divide the cereal mixture between the cups of a muffin pan (preferably silicone for easier removal). Each muffin cup should be approximately 1/2 full. Cover and place in freezer for 30 minutes or until hard.

Fill the remaining half of each muffin cup with the vanilla frozen yogurt. Do not mound the yogurt; rather keep it somewhat level. Place the muffin pan back in freezer and allow yogurt to refreeze for approximately one hour or longer.

To serve, carefully dislodge frosties from the muffin pan using fingers or a knife to loosen the edges.

Makes approximately 8 frosties.

Note for Young Ones:
Right out of the freezer, these treats can be a little tough to eat. If your kids are on the small side, let them thaw for a minute or cut them up for them. In addition, roughly break up some of the rice cereal with a metal spoon as you are coating it with the chocolate mixture. That way it might be less likely to be rough on your little one’s mouth.

 Print

For best results, the peanut butter in these squares needs to be homogenized. Minimumly processed nut butters that allow the oil to seperate and rise to the top of the jar don’t work as well. I’ve found a “natural” Smuckers brand peanut butter that works well and has a relatively short list of ingredients.

Brown rice syrup can be found at the health food store or in the health food section of the grocery store. It’s consistency works well here and it is much less sweet than honey or even agave nectar. I find the sweetness of honey overwhelming when it comes to rice crispy squares.

When the mood strikes, feel free to throw in a handful of sweetened dried cranberries or chocolate chips along with the cereal.

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
3 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut butter and syrup until smooth and warm, 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add cereal and flaxseed. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Transfer cereal mixture to 8×8 baking pan. Flatten evenly and firmly press mixture into the bottom of the pan with rubber spatula. Cover pan with plastic film and cool in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Cut into squares and serve cold. The squares will hold together at room temperature, but not as well. Store remaining squares in airtight container in refrigerator for up to two days.

Makes 16 squares.

 Print