I know Christmas was almost a month ago but bear with me for one more Christmas recipe. It’s easy to find delicious red food but green? Not so much. Unless you want to sneak spinach, kale, or peppers into a dessert, it’s hard to get the red and green theme naturally.

This bark looks like Christmas. The coconut seems like snow on the ground while the green and red toppings make it fun and festive. And it’s as fun to eat as it is to look at. The meaty pistachios and coconut match up against the tart craisins and bitter chocolate.

This bark shouldn’t last long, but if you happen to have leftovers make sure to keep them in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate solid.

Coconut Pistachio Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16 servings):

• 8.5oz dark chocolate OR 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3 Tablespoons pistachios

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler.
2. Spread the melted chocolate out on a sheet of wax paper or other non-stick surface.
3. Sprinkle the coconut, cranberries and pistachios out along the surface of the chocolate.
4. Gently press the toppings into the bark to make sure they stick to the chocolate.
5. Refrigerate the chocolate for 20-30 minutes until it has set.
6. Remove the bark from the wax paper and break it apart into 16-20 uneven pieces.

As I’ve been eating my way through yogurt that Chobani sent me, I’ve been trying to get creative on new ways to cook with it. Everyone knows yogurt is a great low-fat alternative for baking so I took that as my starting point and took off from there.

While a good base recipe is essential, a lot of the fun of cakes and brownies is what you put inside or on top of them. Chocolate chips and coconut are among my favorites. These might not seem healthy but with Greek yogurt in place of oil and butter and craisins and coconut filling it up(in addition to some chocolate chips, of course) these won’t do you wrong or steer you off your New Year resolutions.

If you want to make this more of a healthy snack, swap in 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts or slivered almonds in for the chocolate chips. Either way it’ll taste great.

Loaded Coconut Cake Squares

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vanilla Chobani greek yogurt
• 2 eggs

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl sift together the gluten-free flour and baking powder.
3. Add in the craisins, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, white and dark chocolate chips and mix.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, brown sugar, and eggs until homogenous.
5. Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry until the batter is well mixed.
6. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.
7. Pour the batter into the pan and press down evenly.
8. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup coconut on top of the batter and press in lightly.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center of the cake has set and the coconut on top begins to toast.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into squares.

Don’t forget to add caramel or fudge sauce just in case this doesn’t have enough flavors going on for you.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Lately it’s felt like Christmas is a week and not just a day. This is a dessert I made a couple of days for friends. It was so good I thought about making it again for Christmas Day.

Pavlovas are a light and simple gluten-free dessert. You just need to have enough foresight to make them the night before so that the meringue can set overnight. On their own they don’t have much flavor, but add anything on top and they become much more exciting.

This dessert has a lot of flavors and textures going on in it. The meringue is crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The chocolate is velvety and bitter and the cranberry sauce is slightly chunky and tart. There’s a little something for everyone.

Chocolate Cranberry Pavlova

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients(Makes about 8 servings)

• 4 egg whites
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• 6 Tablespoons chocolate chips
• 3 Tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat the egg whites in a large glass bowl until they’re frothy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and cream of tartar.
4. While beating the egg whites, slowly add in the sugar and cocoa powder mixture until it’s fully incorporated. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
5. Spread the meringue out on a non-stick baking tray. Place the tray in the oven, turn it off and leave the oven door shut overnight or for 8 hours until the meringue has set.
6. Combine the cranberries and about 2 cups of water in a medium pot over the stove and boil for 10 minutes with a lid on the pot.
7. After 10 minutes, drain most of the water leaving just a thin layer to cover the bottom.
8. Add in the sugar and salt and stir. Continue boiling for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
9. Mix the corn starch with 2 Tablespoons of warm water until it’s dissolved and add it to the cranberry sauce.
10. Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat and mix it well until it thickens. Set aside to cool.
11. Melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and mix together until smooth.
12. To assemble the pavlova, spread the chocolate out in an even layer on top of the meringue.
13. Add the cranberry sauce on top of the chocolate and spread it out to cover the top.
14. Serve at room temperature.