Normally, we all know that I run a very health conscious blog. I am a strong advocate of eating lots of Tofu, running five miles a day, staying away from sugar and drinking only water and being sure that when you eat meat, it’s is a good source of protein and iron like liver. Plus taking many vitamin and herbal supplements every day, living a clean healthy lifestyle, abstaining from alcohol and meditating twice a day.
Awwww, heck, who am I kidding? None of you and all I can do is sit here and laugh until tears run down my face at the thought of all of that. I am a strong advocate of Twinkies and Cheetos, I hate liver, had Tofu once many years ago and run from it now, I like my wine, eat far too much fatty foods, post recipes that are sinfully bad for you and probably have arteries that are so clogged that I need a bottle of extra strength Drano to cut through the grease.
Seriously though, I do try to be at least semi smart on what I eat. Believe it or not, the bulk of the things I post here get given away just so that I can’t overindulge and so that my husband and kids don’t get too heavy and have to be rolled out the door when we go places. I like sweets but having had a father who was diabetic and a husband who is now, I know the consequences of too much fat, carbs and sugar and don’t want it happening to me or being a party to my husbands health getting worse.
But…. and it’s a big but (no not mine though it’s a big butt too), I do love to cook the things that are bad for you. I love a good Spinach salad which is my current food fetish and I could eat fish (not always fried either 😛 ) until it was coming out of my ears. But they don’t seem to carry the same thrill when it comes to cooking as things like todays post. If you combine cream, Heath bars, a crispy meringue, cocoa and sugar together, it becomes a treat that, while it makes your body scream in agonizing self defense, makes your mouth go “Oh.My.God. Can I have another 14 inch hunk of this please?”
And that’s ok. There is nothing wrong with having the “bad” stuff sometimes. As is said, it’s all a matter of moderation. Though…erhmmm… being moderate with this is difficult. Your brain will just be telling you to lean down and bury your face in it up to your ears and inhale. I don’t advise it though and am hereby freeing myself from any future lawsuits based on chopped up Heath bars caught in your sinus passages. You’ve been warned.
So if you (and ten or so other people) want to indulge, make this. You won’t be sorry and neither will the ten other people. Unless you eat it all before they get any.
CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CLOUD
MERINGUE-
- 6 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 2 cups sugar
FILLING AND TOPPING-
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3 king size heath bars, coarsely crushed
- Heat oven to 275 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat this.
- Spread half the mixture into about an 8 inch circle on each cookie sheet.
- Bake at 275 for 50 to 60 minutes or until crisp and a very light golden brown around the edges. Rotate your sheets halfway through if you cooked them on different oven racks.
- Turn oven off and leave the meringues in the closed oven for 2 hours. Remove form oven and let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- In a medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and cocoa. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in two of the crushed king sized Heath bars.
- Place one meringue layer on a serving plate. Top with half the filling. Top that with the other meringue layer and then spread the rest of the filling on top. Sprinkle with the last crushed Heath bar.
- Refrigerate this for several hours before serving to give the meringues and the candy time to soften up a bit. Stick your face in the plate up to your ears. Wait… no! I did NOT advise that. Nope, not me.