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.

Even though I stopped drinking coffee years ago, I still love coffee flavored things. Occasionally I’ll have a cup of decaf coffee, but more likely I’ll look for coffee ice cream or chocolate covered espresso beans. Coffee and chocolate are a wonderful things.

These aren’t technically macarons because there isn’t any almond paste in the recipe but the taste and texture are similar: Crunchy, soft coffee meringues held together with a rich chocolate ganache. The best touch is the added Irish cream in the ganache; it’s much better than a morning cup of coffee. 

You can use regular cream in place of the Irish cream for the ganache or even a coffee liqueur like Kahlua.

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients(Makes about 15 sandwiches):

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons Irish cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
2. In a glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
3. Sift the powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and instant coffee together and then slowly beat them into the egg whites.
4. Continue beating until all of the sugar is incorporated and the whites form stiff peaks.
5. Scoop the meringue into a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with a corner cut out.
6. Squeeze the batter into discs on non-stick baking trays.
7. Bake for 90 minutes until the meringues are hard. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
8. Melt the chocolate and butter together. Mix in the Irish cream until it makes a smooth ganache.
9. Scoop about a Tablespoon of ganache on the bottom of one meringue and sandwich it with another.
10. Let the sandwiches sit for about 15 minutes until the ganache hardens.
11. Serve at room temperature.

When it comes to dessert, I love lemon just as much as any chocolate torte or cake. Even though it’s typically a Summer flavor, I think it’s great to end a heavy Winter meal on a light and refreshing note.

Cornmeal is one of my favorite underrated gluten-free flours. It’s made to use polenta and corn tortillas all the time but hardly ever makes it into desserts. The texture is certainly more coarse than your typical flour but it has a charming rusticness to it.

Make sure to find a finely ground cornmeal rather than a coarse one. The cake will bake either way but the coarse cornmeal will have a tougher texture to it once baked.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk, divided
• 1/2 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon extract, divided
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda until mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, 6 1/2 Tablespoons of milk, 1/2 Tablespoon of lemon extract and the lemon zest.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients and whisk well.
5. Grease an 8-inch cake pan on all sides.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is browning and the center is cooked.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool.
8. After the cake is cooled, make the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with the extra milk and lemon extract until it’s smooth and runny. If you need to, add 1/2 – 1 extra Tablespoon of milk to get it to the right consistency.
9. Drizzle the icing on top of the cake before slicing and serve.

An icing is an easy and light way to frost this but you could also make a lemon or vanilla buttercream for something richer.

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.