Chocolate Cranberry Meringue Dessert - #CIC

December 20th already... Are you ready for Christmas?  Have you thought what you will be serving for  dessert or maybe a Christmas coffee?  This recipe would work perfect for either.  It is light and just the perfect amount of sweetness to work after a big dinner or have with your coffee or tea.

This month we picked Cranberries and Cocoa for our Crazy Ingredient Challenge and I thought a dessert would be perfect to make for this month's challenge.

Chocolate Cranberry Meringue Dessert

This recipe does take a while to make as it has many steps but it is worth every step. You can make most of the dessert before your dinner or party and then put it together just before you eat. As I was making the meringues I knew I had to make some glazed cranberries and as I made the glazed cranberries the rest of this dessert just came together.  The glazed cranberries can also be made days ahead, along with cranberry syrup and the chocolate cranberry sauce.  The day before the party make some whip cream and wow your guests.  

Chocolate Meringues
adapted from Emeril's Forgotten Kisses

Ingredients:
2 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar
2 tsp Divine Cocoa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
In bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.
Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until fluffy but not dry.
Add sugar slowly about 2-3 tablespoon at a time continue to beat until all sugar is dissolved.
Add cocoa and beat until well incorporated.
Place 1/2 of meringue mixture into plastic bag or decorating bag with star tip if you have.
Starting in center slowly pipe out meringue into a large circle.
Do the same with the rest of the meringue so that you have 2 circles approximately the same size.
Place in oven and turn it off.
Let meringue sit in oven for at least 2 hours without being disturbed or overnight until crispy and dry.
Place in air tight container if not using right away, they can keep for up to a week.

These are tasty alone.  If you want you can make these into cookies instead of bigger rounds.


Glazed Cranberries

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

Directions:
In small saucepan add sugar and water and heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Do not let mixture boil.
Take off heat and pour in cranberries.
Place in bowl and cover and place in refrigerator overnight.
Drain cranberries (safe sauce for next step).
Cover cranberries with the 1/3 cup sugar and let sit in single layer to dry for at least one to two hours.
Glazed Cranberries can be kept in airtight container in cool place for up to 1 week.

The Glazed Cranberries are so good that I had a hard time saving them for the dessert.  They are a perfect treat.. sweet and sour.

Chocolate Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp cranberry syrup (recipe below)
2 Tbsp Divine cocoa
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp Butter

Directions:
In medium saucepan mix sugar, milk, cranberry syrup, cocoa and flour.
Bring to boil.
Add butter and continue to cook until butter is melted.
Let cool.

This syrup would taste awesome on ice cream, or put some in your coffee... Wait for my recipe for Cranberry Chocolate Coffee Latte....

Cranberry Syrup

Remember when we were making the glazed cranberries and I said to save the syrup that was drained from the cranberries.  You will use that syrup in this recipe.

Ingredients:
Leftover Syrup from Glazed Cranberries
1/3 cup Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries.

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a saucepan.
Bring to boil over medium heat.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Let sit until slightly cool and drain fresh cranberries from syrup.
Place in container and refrigerate.

The cranberries can be eaten..they are yummy, put them on your waffles.  This syrup can be used for many things - pancakes, waffles, ice cream or even in your coffee... Use your imagination.

Putting the dessert all together

Ingredients:
2 large meringues
Whipped cream (I used about 3/4 pint of heavy cream and sugar to taste)
Glazed Cranberries
Chocolate Cranberry Sauce

Directions:
Place on meringue down on plate.
Add 1/2 or little more of the whipped cream
Drizzle chocolate cranberry sauce over whipped cream.
Layer second meringue over the whipped cream and sauce.
Add more whipped cream
Drizzle with chocolate cranberry sauce and Glazed Cranberry.

Enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up