Meringue Heart-Shaped Cookies with Lemon Filling Recipe

A tasty Valentine’s Day meal doesn’t have to be high in calories — and that includes dessert. These sweet and tart meringue hearts are a light yet undeniably cute way to end a meal. And at only 150 calories per cookie, it’s OK to indulge! (And if chocolate it more your thing, consider this Gluten-Free Molten Lava Cake.)

Meringue Hearts
Photo by Perry Santanachote

Serves 2

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

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Ingredients

For the meringue:
1 large egg white at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the lemon curd:
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 large egg
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt

For presentation:
Powdered sugar
Fresh raspberries

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace 2 heart shapes onto the parchment paper using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter or this printable heart template. Turn parchment paper over on the baking sheet and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined.
  3. Spoon the meringue mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round 1/2-inch tip, or a gallon-size Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Cover one of the hearts with an even layer of meringue. Continue piping meringue around the outer edge of the heart, making a 1-inch-high wall. Repeat with the remaining heart.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes; reduce the heat to 175 degrees and bake until meringue is dry and crisp but still white, about 1 hour and 15-30 minutes more.
  5. To make the lemon curd, combine the sugar, lemon rind and egg in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and butter and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool, cover and chill the mixture while the meringues cook. Note: You will have lemon curd left over (47 calories per tablespoon). It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Try it with fresh berries or spread some on whole-grain toast for breakfast.
  6. When meringues are done, transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
  7. Before serving, mix 2 tablespoons of lemon curd with yogurt. Fill each meringue heart with this mixture, garnish with berries and dust with powdered sugar.

Originally posted February 9, 2014. 

Meringue Hearts
Photo by Perry Santanachote

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