Meringue Easter Baskets
These light and airy meringue Easter baskets are filled with lemon curd, green coloured coconut flakes as grass, and some mini chocolate eggs. This is a creative and fun project to do for Easter!
Servings 25 baskets
Calories 137kcal
Ingredients
Meringue Baskets
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
Lemon Curd
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Coconut Grass
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- green food colouring
Royal Icing
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup mini chocolate eggs
Instructions
Meringue Baskets
- Preheat oven to 200°F (90°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw 2 inch circles on the underside of the parchment papers. Set aside.
- Whip egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until frothy.
- Add sugar a bit at a time while mixing. Mix until all the sugar is incorporated and egg whites reach stiff peaks.
- Add meringue to a large piping bag with a large star piping tip. Pipe meringue into a circle and fill, following the circle template you made earlier.
- Then pipe the basket sides by piping around 3 or 4 times.
- Pipe the basket handles on the next baking sheet. Pipe arches following the circle pattern for the arcs.
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let them cool slowly in the oven for 20 minutes. This helps prevent cracking.
- Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container until ready to assemble.
Lemon Curd
- Add egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a double broiler, or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
- Whisk until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. It will be 170°F (77°C) when ready.
- Remove from heat, add butter, and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This can be made a day or 2 in advance.
Coconut Grass
- Add coconut flakes to a large ziplock bag. Add a drop of green food colouring. Zip the bag closed and message the food colouring into the coconut flakes. Add more drops of green food colouring until you get a grass shade colour.
- Set aside until you are ready to assemble. This can be done a day ahead.
Royal Icing
- Add egg white and cream of tartar to a medium sized bowl. Add a bit of powdered sugar at a time until the icing is thick, but dippable. Cover and set aside at room temperature until you are ready to assemble.
Assembly
- Using the royal icing, "glue" the basket handles to the baskets. You will need to hold the handle in place for a minute until the royal icing starts to set.
- Let the baskets sit for at least 20 minutes to make sure the handles are set in place before continuing to decorate.
- Add lemon curd into the cavity of the baskets. Top with green coconut flakes. Add 3 mini chocolate eggs to each basket.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature. These are best the day they are assembled.
Notes
- You can "glue" the handles on the baskets the day before serving. Store covered at room temperature.
- The lemon curd can be made several days in advance.
- Add lemon curd, coconut, and mini eggs right before serving.
- Instead of lemon curd, use buttercream or pastry cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.1mg