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Pavlovas are the perfect gluten-free dessert. No flour necessary. My healthy recipe makeover uses low-glycemic coconut palm sugar and a lower fat ‘whipped cream’ topping so you can indulge without feeling too guilty.
I love the way the meringue is crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and melts in your mouth. Bite after luscious bite.
If you need a good make-ahead dessert, this is it. Make the pavlova bases the night before and leave them in the oven with the door cracked. Top them with whipped cream and fresh, juicy berries just before serving.
There are a couple tricks to making a successful meringue:
- Meringue isn’t a great idea on really humid days – it’ll pull humidity from the air and get soft.
- Make sure your bowl is clean with no traces of fat before whipping your egg whites. Wipe the inside of the bowl with a little white vinegar to cut the fat if necessary.
- Over-whipped egg whites are no good so watch carefully. They can go from perfectly whipped to dry and dull in seconds.
I made them a few times – the first time the oven temperature was too low. The second time it was too humid. I knew better but I did it anyway. And the third time they were just right.
Blog Redesign Coming Soon…
Just a heads up – my new blog design should have been done ages ago but I had so many things going on that I couldn’t find the time or energy to finish it up. Well, the end is near. I’ll share a sneak-peek soon.
You’re going to love the new organization. It’s going to be so easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Ingredients
- 4 large or extra large egg whites
- 1/2 cup powdered coconut palm sugar **see below**
- 1/2 teaspoon instant decaffeinated coffee
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 5 drops of liquid vanilla stevia, or to taste
- 4 – 8 strawberries depending on the size, sliced
- 12 blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degress F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over. Draw or trace 4 (4-inch) circles on the paper. (I traced the lid to my tea jar.) Turn the paper back over so the ink doesn’t come in contact with your food.
- Beat the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks, or when the tips curl when the beaters are lifted out of the egg whites. Add the powdered palm sugar one tablespoon at a time while still beating the whites. Add the instant coffee. Beat the whites to stiff peaks, or when the tips stand straight up. Fold in the cocoa powder in two to three additions, taking care not to deflate the whites.
- Divide the chocolate egg mixture between the four circles, then use the back of a spoon to spread out the meringue making it lower in the center than on the edges. Put the tray into the oven and immediately decrease the oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until meringue is set on the outside. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed for an hour. Remove from oven and if necessary, let cool completely. Carefully remove from parchment paper.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream directly into the Greek yogurt. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the Greek yogurt, adding in the vanilla stevia to taste.
- Top each pavlova with 1/4 of the whipped cream and 1/4 of the berries just before serving.
Notes
**To make Powdered Palm Sugar: Blend 1 cup of coconut palm sugar with 1 tablespoon non-GMO cornstarch in a blender until it’s a fine power. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. If it clumps, sift before using.
Alta
posted on June 1, 2011 at 10:33 am
Oh, Amy, these look SO SO good. I love meringue – the crispy-chewy-airy texture is the stuff of dreams. And this looks so fresh. Yum.
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Tressa @ Hecka-Good Recipes
posted on June 1, 2011 at 11:10 am
I made mini pavlova just the other night, although not chocolate. I am still perfecting my recipe so I hadn’t posted it yet.
These look delicious.
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Maggie
posted on June 1, 2011 at 11:49 am
Beautiful recipe (and pics) Amy. I forwarded this to my Mom, this dessert is right up her alley! She’s such a good hostess so I know she’ll make these for her guests. xo
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:14 am
@Maggie, As I was making these I was wondering..hmm – how do I make an eggless version for Callum?
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Maggie Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 11:44 am
@Amy, You’re so sweet Amy!
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Carol@easytobeglutenfree
posted on June 1, 2011 at 12:29 pm
WOW! Those look fantastic!
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Eryn @ Pumpkin's Pantry
posted on June 1, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Loved that you made these pavlovas with chocolate meringue- yum! Also, wanted to let you know that ever since I found your conversion for coconut/palm powdered sugar (I think it was for your spritz cookies) my life has been much happier
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:13 am
@Eryn @ Pumpkin’s Pantry, Oh, good! I really like coconut palm sugar and using less than you think you need is always a good thing.
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Amanda-The Sweet Details
posted on June 1, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Just wanted to let you know I changed my blog url from eating in winnipeg to http://thesweetdetail.blogspot.com/ hope to have you come over there and follow me there
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:13 am
@Amanda-The Sweet Details, What a great name – The Sweet Detail. Love it.
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Ricki
posted on June 1, 2011 at 1:22 pm
I agree with Maggie, they are beautiful! And congrats on the new blog design. Looking forward to checking it out!
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Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen)
posted on June 1, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Oh these look amazing! I love pavlovas and haven’t done chocolate yet. I definitely need to now!
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Eleanor@eatinglikeahorse
posted on June 1, 2011 at 5:21 pm
These look so delicious – I love meringues and fruit!
Thank you so much for your comment on my blog and the Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays sound great – I’ll definitely contribute
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:12 am
@Eleanor@eatinglikeahorse, Thanks for stopping by Eleanor! Yes, I’d love to have you at SIT! It’s a fun event with so many unique spins on food. You’ll definitely inspire and be inspired.
Hugs,
Amy
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Alisa Fleming
posted on June 1, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Those are gorgeous Amy! Great tips too – I had never thought about humidity issues.
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Hannah
posted on June 1, 2011 at 11:13 pm
I adore making mini pavlovas and meringues! Would you believe, though, I’ve never made a chocoalte version? Peppermint, yes. Chai, yes. Coffee and hazelnut, yes. Chocolate? Soon!
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:09 am
@Hannah, I loved the chocolate and the berries together with the slightly sweet cream…I thought I’d just take a bite or two. Nope. Ate the whole thing.
Hugs,
Amy
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Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing
posted on June 2, 2011 at 1:10 am
The first time I had pavlova was when I was in college, and my very good (Australian) friend wanted to celebrate her country’s special day. Apparently, they do this by making and consuming a LOT of treats… She went all out and made 4(!) huge pavlovas. They were so, so sweet, and I think even covered in powdered sugar. Even then I just couldn’t eat much, even though I wanted to. I think this recipe is a bit more up my alley now
Thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to the redesign unveiling.
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:08 am
@Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing, I know how you feel…so, so sweet doesn’t work for me. I look at recipes and think, “Whoa…that’s way too much sugar!”
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Audrey
posted on June 2, 2011 at 7:20 pm
I get these posted to my FaceBook & everything looks sooo delish………….can’t wait to try everything as it makes my mouth water & I’m so hungry for good, healthy food!!! I can’t eat anything gluten free just yet cause I’m having an endoscopic procedure with biopsy for celiac at the end of the month!!! I’ve been told not to try any gluten free foods until after testing & I’m certainly loading up on all ingredients to start making delish food that doesn’t make me sick!! I can’t begin to explain the torture I’m living, at this moment!!! My tummy hurts so bad, among other things!! Thank you for must have recipes!! Being that my hubby is a type 2 diabetic, these will help with his diet restrictions also:-)
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Amy Reply:
June 4th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
@Audrey, Wishing you a healthful journey, Audrey! I am sorry you feel so bad right now but am grateful that you’re in search of a solution.
Hugs,
Amy
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Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free
posted on June 15, 2011 at 8:25 am
Thanks for the tip about overbeating the meringue — I didn’t realize that. I made lots of vanilla meringues for my mother-in-law when she went gluten-free, but she wasn’t too interested in chocolate, to my disappointment. However, she would have loved these for a special treat, I’m sure. I certainly will be making some soon!
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Amanda
posted on August 3, 2011 at 7:55 am
These looks so good! And wow, your site looks terrific, LOVE the redesign!
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Amy Reply:
August 3rd, 2011 at 8:36 am
@Amanda, Thanks, Amanda!! Good to hear from you. I see you’ve been quite busy with The Secret Recipe Club. So fun!!
Hugs,
Amy
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