Mini Oreo Pavlovas with Raspberry Whipped Cream

Cookies and cream mini pavlovas with crunchy shells, chewy marshmallowy middles stuffed with a vanilla bean whipped cream and crushed raspberries. 

This recipe has been a long time coming. I first talked about these when I shared my oreo meringue brownies last fall. I had first made these over the summer prior when I decided to ‘speckle’ a meringue with oreo crumbs as if I were making a mcflurry. It was delicious (even before I baked it, lol) and I ended up making it again and baking it into a layer on top of the brownies. It’s a very popular recipe and if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out! 

I wanted to share this recipe with you once I found a way to break up the sweetness of the meringues (after all, we’re putting cookie crumbs into a cookie!). I saw this recipe via food52 and couldn’t get that dark red ripple out of my mind. It’s fabulous here. In a regular pavlova you’d top them with whipped cream and berries (maybe a fruit curd too!) but we’re just going to crush the berries and fold them into the whipped cream. It’s easy and perfect and they are going to be gobbled up before you know it!

On making meringues and mini pavlovas 

The size of these is much closer to a meringue cookie, you can see me breaking into one here for reference but they are texturally more of a pavlova (historically called meringue cakes apparently!). Meringues are fully crispy and dry throughout but these have a marshmallow gooey texture in the center. That said, pavlovas usually have some vinegar and cornstarch to keep the center soft but we won’t need that here. 

Meringue Method: Swiss or (modified) French 

To make them I use the swiss method: warming sugar and egg whites together over simmering water and whisking until sugar granules are mostly melted. Another option is to warm the sugar in the oven (see this Ottolenghi recipe for how to) and slowly pour it in as the egg whites whisk. 

The things you want to get right: 

• The sugar granules need to be completely dissolved once the meringue is done whipping; that’s why some heat is involved (either over the bain marie with the egg whites, or warming the sugar in the oven prior). If you have a grainy meringue, it’s guaranteed to crack and seep in the oven. 
• Stop before you get a stiff meringue, since we’re adding something and then mixing it in the meringue will get stiff as we mix in the crumbs. 

Baking pavlovas: a crisp exterior and a soft center   

This is the most likely step where you’ll have trouble and it’s important to know what you are looking for in terms of doneness rather than following the recipe instructions. Ovens vary and depending on how big or small you’ve scooped the meringue they will vary in baking time. 

Look for a dry exterior and try to gently lift one from the parchment paper. If it sticks, they aren’t done yet and need more time. If it lifts easily, they are done and you can shut the oven off. The pavlovas should sit in the oven overnight. 

Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Crumbs 

Basically, oreo crumbs! Important: you’ll need to remove the cream from the center of the cookies before you process them. We want to avoid having the cream inside because it will add sugar and fat to the meringue which will cause it to be too sweet and/or break. 

Crushed Raspberries & Whipped Cream 

A couple things to keep in mind when making this: 

• When making the whipped cream don’t overbeat it. Either use a whisk or a hand mixer, if you can as with a stand mixer it’s easy to let it go too far. Stop when you have medium peaks, it should still droop! 
• Cold heavy cream whips up best; keep it in the fridge until you are about to whip it. 
• Don’t use frozen berries; they usually have some water frozen onto them and will make the whipped cream runny. 

Assembling the Mini Oreo Pavlovas 

You can either use your fingers to gently break off the top of the pavlova and spoon the whipped cream into the center or you can press them down and indent them (either before or after they bake – if you do it after they’ll shatter a bit), then spoon the cream into the center. 

FAQ on Mini Oreo Pavlovas

How should I serve the pavlovas? 

Once the raspberries are in the whipped cream, these should be served immediately. As the whipped cream sits on the pavlovas it adds moisture and the pavlovas will lose the crisp exterior. 

Can I substitute the raspberries with a different berry? 

You could but I will say that having a tart berry really helps balance everything out here. Strawberries would lend little nuance to the dish and blueberries might be a bit too delicate in taste here but you do you! 

Can the pavlovas be made ahead of time? 

Yup! After you bake them they’ll cool in the oven overnight and in the morning you can transfer them to an airtight container where they will keep for a few days. 

Can the whipped cream be made ahead of time? 

You can make the whipped cream the morning of when you plan to serve it but don’t’ add the berries until right before serving as they will ‘bleed’ into the cream. 

Recipe for Oreo Pavlovas with Raspberry Whipped Cream

Oreo Pavlovas with Raspberry Whipped Cream

Mini oreo pavlovas with a crisp exterior and a soft marshmallow middle, served with a tart raspberry, gently sweet whipped cream.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Yields: 10

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Cookies & Cream Pavlovas

• 4 large egg whites
• 240 g sugar 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs cream removed

Crushed Raspberry Whipped Cream

• 1 cup raspberries crushed with a fork
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Pinch salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 225 F (200 F if your oven runs hot). Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk frequently until you can pinch the mix between your fingers and most of the sugar granules have dissolved.
• Transfer the egg & sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Begin whisking on low and gradually increase until you are on medium high. Add the vanilla and salt as the meringue whips. Whip it until you have almost stiff peaks
  
• the meringue won’t tightly hold shape when you turn the whisk upside down, it will droop but just a bit.
• Sprinkle in the cookie crumbs and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in.
  
• 6Use a large ice cream scoop (one that holds 3 or 4 tablespoons) to scoop the meringue onto the pan, if you want to put the whipped cream on top you have the option to indent them slightly on top with the back of a spoon. You’ll have 12-15 meringues, depending on how large you’ve scooped them.
  
• Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour. You can tell they are done by carefully lifting them from the pan and if they come off clean and don’t stick to the parchment, they are done. Turn off the oven and leave them there overnight (or at least for a few hours). Store them in an airtight container.
• For the Raspberry Whipped Cream:
• Beat or whisk together the heavy whipping cream, vanilla and sugar either with a hand mixer or using a whisk until you have soft peaks. Fold the raspberries into the whipped cream.
• Serve the meringues topped with the whipped cream.

Did you make this recipe?

Share & tag me on instagram @buttermilkbysam

8 comments