Mocha Meringue Bark

     Claire Robinson is definitely my new favorite Food Network host. She is vivacious, down-to-earth and fun; her food is inventive and uses five ingredients or less!

     Besides that the timing of her show coincides perfectly with my daily exercise workout (makes sense to me – burn off some calories while figuring out how to replace them).

     Just happened to have some leftover egg whites so this seemed like an easy use for them. The results were YUMMY! I will definitely make this again.

 

Mocha Meringue Bark   Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time:15 min / Cook Time:1 hour + 1 hour cooling time

Level: Easy
Recipe from Claire Robinson @ Food Network

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds, divided

1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 1/4 cup

4 egg whites

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 250°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. Put ¼  cup blanched almonds and 1 teaspoon sugar into a food processor and pulse until it resembles cornmeal; reserve. Finely chop the remaining almonds.

3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt until very soft peaks have formed. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ¼ cup sugar and espresso powder. With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the sugar and the espresso powder, 1 tablespoon at a time, whipping just to the stiff peak stage, (do not overbeat). Gently fold in the reserved almond flour.

4. With a large offset spatula, spread the meringue batter on the lined baking sheet in an even layer, about ½” thick. Sprinkle the finely chopped almonds and chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the meringue and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, leaving the meringue in the oven to dry out further and cool for an additional 1 hour.

5. To serve, break the meringue into pieces. Leftover meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature in a dry cool place for up to 3 days.

Note: If meringue gets chewy, put it back into a 200° oven for about 30 minutes, turn off the oven and let dry inside the oven while it cools.

For more information on egg whites, click on . . . Egg White Tips