Chocolate Meringues with Cherry Bits

Every year at Christmas, I try to make a new cooke and since I've gone completely gluten free, cookie making has become something of a challenge. But I got inspired by meringues, which are naturally gluten free and they are easy to make too!  So, I created this recipe with the tastes of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.  I added little bits of dried tart Cherries and white chocolate chips to mimic the vanilla ice cream. And, they turned out wonderfully - chewy, chocolatey and sweet. They are very easy to make as long as you have an electric mixer to mix up the egg whites. If you need to make Gluten Free cookies, I think you will love this recipe! And, if you don't need to avoid gluten, they are a delicious cookie that just happens to be Gluten Free.

Chocolate Meringues with Cherry Bits

12 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup tart Dried Cherries, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water (or use a double boiler). Remove from heat and add in the Vanilla Extract. Let cool while you beat the egg whites until foamy with an electric mixer. Then slowly add the sugar until soft peaks form.  Fold in half of the chocolate carefully and then add in the other half gently. Add in the White Chocolate Chips and the Cherry pieces and stir lightly to combine.  

Line baking pans with parchment or Silpat liners. Spoon heaping Tablespoons of the Chocolate Meringue onto the pan several inches apart.  Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool fully before serving.

Five Element Analysis

Both Bittersweet Chocolate and Dried Cherries belong to the Fire Element.  The Vanilla Extract and White Chocolate ring in the Metal Element. There is plenty of Sugar to represent the Earth Element. And the egg whites bring in the Water Element.  Only the Wood Element is missing so this would be a good dessert after a meal that has a lot of Wood foods in it.