Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Little Chocolate Clouds from Coffeehouse Mystery author Cleo Coyle #Chocolate


With warmer weather finally making its appearance here in New York City, my craving for something chocolate needed to be tempered into something light.

Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.

The result is this recipe for Little Chocolate Clouds, which I make every spring and throughout the summer. These simple chocolate meringues are easy to whip up and bake. They are bursting with chocolate flavor, yet they're very light and have the added bonus of protein, thanks to the egg whites.

My husband (and partner in crime-writing) loves these sweet, little morsels. He describes them as "little chocolate cotton candies," which perfectly captures their melt-in-your mouth appeal, especially after you soften their crunchy exteriors by dipping them into a cup of warm coffee or tea.



The only tricky technique in making this simple
recipe is whipping up the egg whites...

To watch a quick video tutorial on how to
whip egg whites properly, 
click on the little
white arrow in the window below.

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If you don't see a video above, watch the
video on YouTube by
clicking here.




"I had some dreams, they were
clouds 
in my coffee..." ~ Carly Simon


Little Chocolate Clouds


You can serve these little clouds as a light, after-dinner treat or eat them as a satisfying coffee break snack. You can even float one in a hot coffee or espresso. It will melt into the liquid, giving you a lovely hint of mocha in your cup...

To download a free PDF
of this recipe that you can
print, save, or share,

click here.

Click here for the
free recipe PDF.

Cleo Coyle's
Little Chocolate Clouds


Makes 24 to 30 cookies, depending on size


Ingredients:

4 egg whites (room temperature)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (to stabilize the egg whites)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Optional decorations: chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts

Method:

Step 1 – Before You Begin: First preheat the oven to 300° Fahrenheit. Some notes to help you get the best results here: Start with a mixing bowl that is glass, metal, or ceramic. The bowl must be free of grease for your egg whites to whip up properly. (Grease clings to plastic bowls, which is why you should not use plastic.) Also, for best results, your egg whites should be room temperature. I simply set my cold eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 2 to 3 minutes before cracking.

Step 2 – Whip Egg Whites: Place egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt into bowl. Using an electric mixer or handheld whisk, begin to whip the whites. When you see soft peaks begin to form (see "soft peaks" photo below), continue beating while slowly sprinkling in the sugar.

When the egg whites have become stiff and glossy (see "stiff and glossy" photo below), stop whipping. Sift the cocoa over the egg whites and gently fold into the mix. The whites will deflate a little, but that’s okay.

(Below) Egg Whites Beaten into "Soft Peaks"







(Below) Sugar Slowly Added and 
Egg Whites Beaten Until "Stiff and Glossy"





Sifting in the Unsweetened Cocoa





Folding in the Unsweetened Cocoa 






Step 3 – Form Little Chocolate Clouds: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make rustic little chocolate clouds by dropping batter by heaping teaspoons onto the paper. As a fun option and to create variety, try sprinkling some with finely chopped nuts, others with shredded coconut, chocolate sprinkles, or a few mini chocolate chips.





Step 4 – Bake in the preheated (300° F.) oven for about 25 to 35 minutes. Meringues should be dry and firm on the outside (not hard just firm) and still gooey in the center. Remove from oven and carefully slide the parchment paper off the hot pan and onto a rack to cool. 

Note: Warm meringues will stick to the parchment paper. But as they cool, they will harden. Then you can easily lift them free and…eat with joy!









Click here for the
free recipe PDF.

☕ ☕ ☕

Eat with joy! 

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries 


Alice and Marc in Central Park. 
Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
Friend us on facebook here.
Follow us on twitter here.
Visit our online coffeehouse here.


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10 comments:

  1. Light, delicious, AND chocolate?
    Another Cleo Coyle hit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By the way, the close up egg white pictures are really nifty.
      (Is "nifty" an acceptable word? Or too ...?)

      Delete
    2. Libby - You, my dear, are a good egg. Thank you! This recipe is fun to make, especially with kids. It feels like foodie magic, watching the egg whites transform in color, texture, and explode in volume with just a few minutes of whipping. Now that’s cooking with joy! Thanks for stopping by the Kitchen, Libby, it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

      xoxo

      ~ Cleo
      Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
    3. P.S. "Nifty" is not only fine with me, it's approved by Merriam-Webster, which cites the first known use of the word circa 1918. And the most recent use? Libby Dodd in the comments section of Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Natch! (Slang for "naturally," also in MW, first known use 1942.:))

      Delete
  2. My grandmother used to make plain meringues, which my mother called "mouth-full-of-nothings".

    These look amazing but I've always had a problem making them when it's even just a little bit humid. They lose that crispy exterior and get sticky like marshmallow.

    It must just be me, though, because my grandmother could make them any time and they were always perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL on your mom’s way with words. Honestly, I think of unflavored (or plain vanilla) meringues that way, too. Because of the cocoa powder in these little clouds, the dessert flavor is much more powerful, and I'm addicted. Happily, they have protein so they offer some substance as well as flavor for a dessert treat that melts like cotton candy in your mouth.

      On the humidity, which I'll address below...I can tell you that where I live (Queens, NYC) the humidity is terrible in the summer. We're in marshland here, near the Atlantic, and I make these all summer, no problem.

      The cream of tartar does help stabilize the egg whites, and the cocoa powder helps dry out and crisp up the little cookies during baking. In a high humidity situation, try baking them for a longer period of time, and be sure to wait for the outside to harden to a more crisp crust before stopping the baking process. Also, be sure to store them after cooling in an airtight container.

      Those are my best tips for you. I hope they help. And may you eat with chocolate joy!

      ~ Cleo
      Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  3. Oh that looks good! I've never made meringues. Does high humidity affect making them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Pat - Thanks for stopping by the Kitchen today! On the humidity, which I'll address below...I can tell you that where I live (Queens, NYC) the humidity is terrible in the summer. We're in marshland here, near the Atlantic, and I make these all summer, no problem.

      The cream of tartar does help stabilize the egg whites, and the cocoa powder helps dry out and crisp up the little cookies during baking. In a high humidity situation, try baking them for a longer period of time, and be sure to wait for the outside to harden to a more crisp crust before stopping the baking process. Also, be sure to store them after cooling in an airtight container.

      Those are my best tips for you. I hope they help! And may you eat with chocolate joy!

      ~ Cleo
      Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete
  4. These sound and look delicious. Can't wait to make them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Vicki! Although the cookies are little and light, the chocolate flavor is big and beautiful. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

      ~ Cleo
      Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com

      Delete