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Coconut Meringues (Naturally Gluten Free)

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Desserts for the holidays in our family tend to be pies and cookies. Cookies are a great way to have a sweet bite after a big meal without overindulging. I’ve shared a lot of my pie recipes and some of my cookie recipes, but not one that’s “recently” become a family favorite—naturally gluten-free Coconut Meringues.

Naturally Gluten-Free Coconut Meringues. Think of these as almost little individual version of coconut pie. For real. So easy to make, so good. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Coconut Meringues

As most of you know, flourless, naturally gluten-free dessert recipes are some of my very, very favorite recipes because they make living gluten free so much easier and such recipes are super delicious, too (no flour to get in the way of the flavors and texture). That’s what living gfe is all about—easy and good—of course!

I only started making these naturally gluten-free Coconut Meringues two years ago. So I’ve been trying to make up for lost time ever since!

Mom and I went to one of our local church bazaars in mid-November. It’s an impressive bazaar.

There’s always a beautiful assortment of handmade items from baby blankets to fun and colorful knit scarves. I purchase many gift items to hold me over for baby showers, birthdays, etc.

It’s hard to call it quits because there are so many lovely well-made items. The church is dedicated to providing such an array of wares that they only hold the bazaar every 2 years, to allow their members to make enough quality items to sell.

The bazaar’s most popular feature by far is their cookie walk. Buyers choose whatever size container they would like to fill (from about 2-cup size to gallon-size) and then walk along two tables of very appealing cookies—about 30 different kinds.

The choices aren’t gluten free or if they are made of gluten-free ingredients, there is no guarantee they are free of cross contamination, so I never partake. However, Mom always enjoys making her selections and filling her container.

One of the cookie varieties she chose two years ago was coconut meringues. She and Dad ended up really enjoying these cookies and she wondered about the recipe.

I searched online and found several versions. We chose the one with the simplest ingredients and we’ve been making it ever since.

It’s naturally gluten free—which means gluten free easily … gfe! And, bonus—these cookies are also naturally dairy free!

They are not as sweet as macaroons (which, frankly, I often find too sweet) and they are just a bit more substantial than true meringue cookies (or meringue-“siblings” like another gfe family favorite—forgotten cookies).

go ahead its gluten free

I realized when I shared these cookies at our support group’s anniversary open house that the recipe wasn’t here on gfe yet … although I had included it in my guest post on celiac over at my friend’s, Anali’s, blog. This post solves that problem, plus it’s also my entry for this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! carnival.

The theme is Holiday Cookies and the lovely Stephanie of Gluten Free by Nature (sorry, this blog is no longer active) is hosting. Stephanie has a very down-to-earth approach to cooking gluten free. She believes in cooking seasonally, and is, also, dairy free and mostly sugar free. But, as many of our fellow bloggers who cook gluten free and “other-free” have shown, there doesn’t have to be deprivation or less taste with any of those labels. Of course, Naomi Devlin is the delightful originator of this popular gluten-free blog carnival—thanks from all of us, Naomi!

holiday-food-fest

This week is also the last week of the Holiday Food Fest. The theme is Holiday Desserts, the perfect ending to our six-week event, and Jessica, also known as Fish Mama, who blogs at Life As Mom, is our host.

Today’s Coconut Meringues are my holiday dessert entry. Be sure to head over to add your favorite holiday recipe and enter the terrific giveaway (there’s a Desperate Housewives connection!) at Jessica’s blog.

The Holiday Food Fest has been an event filled with fun and friendship between bloggers and, you, our beloved readers, but most of all, it’s featured many fabulous recipes that you’ll want to check out if you haven’t already. No time now? Then you might check back after the holidays when things tend to settle down a bit.

Okay, here’s the recipe for naturally gluten-free Coconut Meringues … a little miniature of my beloved Crustless Coconut Pie, if you will:

Naturally Gluten-Free Coconut Meringues. Think of these as almost little individual version of coconut pie. For real. So easy to make, so good. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Naturally Gluten-Free Coconut Meringues Recipe

Yield: 20 cookies

Coconut Meringues

Coconut Meringues

These naturally gluten-free coconut meringues are like individual coconut pies. So good! And easy to make, too!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Inactive Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites
  • dash of salt
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Beat egg whites and dash of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar while beating until peaks are stiff and glossy. Fold in coconut and vanilla. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased baking sheet.
  2. Bake at 325F degrees about 15 - 18 minutes until set and very slightly browned. Center will still be soft. Let cool. Makes about 20 cookies.

Notes

A Silpat liner (as shown) can be used instead of a greased baking sheet, but I actually think I prefer using a greased baking sheet for this particular recipe. The cookies seem a little easier to remove using a greased baking sheet.

If cookies harden while removing (when using the greased baking sheet) and are difficult to remove, just pop back in the oven for a few seconds and try again.

© Shirley Braden

 Originally published December 17, 2009; updated July 13, 2018.

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Comments

    • Shirley says

      Hi Lauren!–Thank you, dear. 🙂 I bet you’d love this version. So easy to whip up a batch. I make them at the last minute for Mr. GFE’s handbell choir often.

      Shirley

      Reply

  2. GF PATISSERIE says

    My husband always tells me about your Blog. Though we are extremely busy, he had to show me this post, because he knows I like Coconut.

    Great idea to “freshen” the good old Meringues.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi, Victoria!–I’m so honored you took the time to leave a comment. I know you guys are indeed wonderfully busy serving so many who love your gf treats there in the Calgary area. You can be sure I’ll be stopping by when we visit again one day in the (hopefully) not too distant future. 🙂 H.Peter is a sweetheart … he’s been a great cheerleader for me! 😉 If you like meringues, I think you’ll really enjoy the coconut version. They might be a new idea for GF Patisserie—to readily serve those who are gf and df.

      Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Holidays! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Anali–Always happy to share enjoyable blogs and still grateful that you gave me that opportunity to do the guest post on celiac. 🙂

      Thanks so much for the holiday greetings. It’s snowing like crazy here … definitely putting us in the holiday spirit. 😉 I think it’s headed your way. Hope your holidays are wonderful as well!

      Shirley

      Reply

  7. PattyBoots says

    Those look wonderful – I love coconut. I make a version sort of the same but different by upping the vanilla to 1/2 tsp., reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup, adding 1 tsp. cinnamon and replacing the coconut with 1/2 cup (after chopping) of pistachios. You can ALMOST feel good about eating them because, you know, nuts are so good for you, right?

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi PattyBoots–You don’t often see pistachios in cookies, but I love them so your version sounds delish. I also like the other changes you made. I’ll have to give them a try the next time I buy some pistachios. Of course, I’ll have to make them immediatley when I arrive home from the grocery store because pistachios have an extremely high “evaporation” rate in our house. 😉

      I always love seeing everyone’s variations on recipes … thanks so much for sharing yours!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Oh, also wanted to ask, did your POM Wonderful juice arrive yet? One of the other winners got hers, so thought I’d check with the other winners. 🙂

      Thanks,

      Shirley

      Reply

      • PattyBoots says

        Sadly, not yet. However, I seem to live in Outer Mongolia for anything that doesn’t ship from the east coast. If it comes out of Hagerstown or Chambersburg, as most of Amazon’s stuff does, I get it the next day regardless; otherwise, I might as well just hang out a white flag.

        But I’m looking forward so to receiving it and so appreciate having won 🙂

        Reply

        • Shirley says

          LOL Hope it arrives soon! Although this weekend’s snow here on the east coast might slow things down a bit with shipping … it will be worth the wait though. 🙂

          Shirley

          Reply

          • PattyBoots says

            Just to let you know – I received the POM today. Was shipped VIA PRIORITY MAIL 12/15; I received 12/21. Oh, well, I hope it’s still good and I’m contemplating giving a bottle or three for Christmas gifts considering how expensive the stuff is!

            Mr. Boots marveled at it in the ‘fridge once he arrived home this evening after braving the skating rink that is the roads and the freak show that is Walmart.

            We got 24″+ of snow, so it’s, shall we say, interesting.

          • Shirley says

            So glad you received your POM finally! How awesome that you are giving some as Christmas gifts. 🙂 FYI–Unless you drink POM Wonderful straight, a little can go a long way, so it can be a great value considering its super antioxidant powers and wonderful flavor.

            Hope your roads are getting better! Ours have greatly improved. 🙂 But, we received about 20 inches, not 24 … and we’ve add some sunny, warmer days that have helped.

            Merry Christmas!

            Shirley

  9. Stephanie @ glutenfreebynature.com says

    Shirley,

    Hope you’re doing ok with the snow storm!

    Just wanted to say a big thank you for posting about the Go Ahead Honey recipe round-up 🙂 We’ve had quite a few people stop by – so I am keeping my fingers crossed for a big turn-out!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Stephanie,

      We enjoyed the snow (we got at least 20 inches, maybe more), but were fortunate to be able to stay home in our warm house. 🙂 We did just venture out a short distance, so we’ve broken the path and established we can get out to the main road. Love 4-wheel drive! The roads are not anywhere near clear and folks are still getting stuck out there.

      I hope Go Ahead Honey will be a great success. It should be with that topic. I’ve seen gf holiday cookies everywhere. I’ll tweet and share on FB next time I’m on. 😉 Remind friends and other folks they can participate as long as they share a gf recipe. Many holiday cookie recipes are naturally gf!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Brian–Well, considering some of your favorite ingredients of late … there’s no chocolate or butter involved, but there is sugar. 😉 Still amazed by that last cheesecake you made! I think you’ll like these. Hope you’ll report back if you make them.

      Thanks so much for the Christmas wishes! Hope you have a Merry Christmas, as well. Celebrating Christmas with a child always makes it extra special. Enjoy yours with your daughter and family. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  15. glutenfreeforgood says

    Shirley,

    Hope all is well with you and you’ve been able to dig out from under your heavy winter snow! I watched it on the news, thinking it looked a lot like home. Of course, that’s more common out here in the Rocky Mountains. 🙂

    Now, stop it with the treats, would you please. I’ve gained a few pounds with all this holiday dessert stuff I’ve been involved with lately! Seriously, I’m not kidding.

    Okay ladies, from now on it’s kale and bok choy.

    On second thought, maybe we should wait another week or so to start that. In the meantime, please pass the coconut meringues, they look divine.

    Melissa
    xo

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Melissa,

      All is good here … thanks! I know our East Coast blizzard may be a bit laughable to those of you who deal with BIG snows on a regular basis. 😉

      Thanks for the kind words on the coconut meringues! They are indeed a lovely indulgence, but I hear you on the treats. As soon as we get back from Key West, I promise to focus more on main meals, salads, fruits, and veggies. I’ll be ready by then for sure. Today I made my crustless coconut pie for our Christmas luncheon for work. Thank goodness there were eight of us!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Mykel–It’s great to see you again! Thanks so much for your lovely review! 🙂 Both my family and support group love these cookies. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

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