⭐️ Make the cookie dirt ⭐️ Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. 🔴 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Chop the chocolate, then combine it with the butter in a heat-proof bowl. Melt it by heating it in the microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring well each time until it’s fully melted.

Add the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir well to form a thick dough.

Crumble the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Let the cookie crumble cool on the pan until it’s crisp, then transfer to an airtight container and store up to 3 days before assembling the log.

⭐️Make the Meringue Mushrooms⭐️ Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. 🔴 Lower the oven temperature to 200°F, and allow it to reach that temperature.

Place the room temperature egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, and use the whisk attachment to beat them on low speed for 1 minute, or until the mixture is frothy.

Add 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Increase the speed to medium high for 1 minute until soft peaks form.

Slowly add 6 tablespoons of white sugar while the stand mixer is running.

Increase the speed to high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with at least a 3/4” tip. Hold the tip about a half inch above the parchment paper and squeeze the bag while moving it straight up to form a small pillar. This will be a mushroom stem. For now, make 5 of varying heights.

For the mushroom caps, place the tip close to the parchment paper and squeeze the bag without moving it up very much. A rounded meringue disk should form. You can swirl the bag as you complete a disk of desired size. This is similar to making macarons. Make five small discs of varying sizes and heights.

Repeat the process of making mushroom stems and caps until you run out of meringue. I wasn’t able to film myself making these meringues, but there are many very good videos online. I would recommend the Yule Log YouTube video by Preppy Kitchen. Use a wet finger to gently smooth down any irregular points on the meringues.

Dust all of the meringues with a light coating of cocoa powder. Place the pan into the preheated 200°F oven. Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and without opening the door, allow the meringues to sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to the touch.

Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips by microwaving them in 15 second bursts and stirring thoroughly each time.

Trim the tips of the stems with a very sharp knife, if necessary. To assemble the mushrooms, dip a stem into melted chocolate, then gently press onto a mushroom cap. Set the completed mushrooms aside until the chocolate has cooled and hardened.

Store the completed mushrooms in an airtight container for up to 5 days before using them to decorate the Yule log.

⭐️ Make the Chocolate Bark ⭐️ Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Have an offset spatula available.

Combine 1 cup chocolate chips (or chunks) and 1/2 teaspoon shortening in a heat-proof bowl. Melt this mixture by microwaving it in 15 second bursts and stirring thoroughly each time.

Spread the melted chocolate in a thin layer over the parchment paper, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the chocolate is cooled completely, gently peel it away from the parchment paper, and tear or cut it into shards of desired size. Thanks to the addition of shortening, this chocolate will be a little more flexible, and should not shatter. Store the chocolate pieces between layers of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

⭐️ Make the Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary ⭐️ Combine 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup white sugar in a sauce pan. Heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the simple syrup over the cranberries and rosemary in a bowl. Cover, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the berries and rosemary to a fresh bowl, the and toss with white sugar until well coated. Transfer them to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and allow to dry for several hours or up to overnight. Store in an airtight container at room temperature

⭐️ Make the Vanilla Chiffon Cake ⭐️ Spray an 18 x 13“ rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, then spray it with cooking spray as well. 🔴Preheat the oven to 350°F

Whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla extract until well blended.

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until it is frothy.

Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside briefly.

Add the yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk until well blended. The mixture will be thick.

Add about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the batter and stir well with the whisk. This will lighten the batter and loosen it so that the remaining egg whites will be easier to fold in.

Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them in until just incorporated. The resulting batter will be fluffy and light.

Gently transfer the batter onto the prepared sheet. Use an offset spatula to gently spread the batter all the way to the edges.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes. While the cake is baking, wet a large tea towel so it is slightly damp and spread it out onto a counter.

After removing the cake from the oven, allow it to cool for 3 minutes. Run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cake to loosen it. Flip the pan cake-side down onto the towel, then lift the pan away. Let the cake cool for one minute before peeling the parchment paper off. Because I had to work quickly, I don’t have pictures, but there are lots of videos online that demonstrate this technique.

Starting at the short end of the cake, use the tea towel to loosely roll the cake into a spiral. Set the rolled cake aside for 1 hour.

⭐️ Make the Chocolate Ganache⭐️ Chop the chocolate and place it into a bowl. If you don’t have corn syrup as the recipe states, omit it. The ganache will work without it. Warm the heavy cream on the stove or by microwaving it in short bursts until it’s steaming. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir well until it is fully melted.

Cover the ganache and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. It will thicken once chilled.

⭐️ Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream⭐️ For best results, chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachment. The addition of gelatin to whipped cream stabilizes it and prevents it from weeping. Put 2 Tablespoons water into a small bowl, then sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon gelatin over it. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 3 minutes. Microwave the mixture in 5-second increments until the gelatin is dissolved and liquefied.

Place the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract into the chilled mixing bowl. Whip on low speed until small bubbles form, then increase the speed to medium.

When the beaters begin to leave a trail in the cream, slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and then increase the speed to high and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

⭐️ Assemble and Decorate! ⭐️ Gently unroll the cake. Apply dollops of the whipped cream and use an offset spatula to spread it to within 1 inch of the edges.

Use the tea towel to lift the short edge of the cake. Then use your hands to grab it and gently re-roll it into a Swiss roll. Lift the roll and place it seam side down on a serving platter. Since I don’t have a serving platter, I lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and placed the roll on top.

If you like, you can cut a chunk off of the end at a diagonal and place it adjacent to the main roll so that it looks like a branched log.

Apply the chilled ganache and use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread it over the top and sides of the roll.

Apply the chocolate bark in overlapping layers on top of the ganache.

At this point, you can gently cover the cake with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge until right before serving.

Immediately before serving, complete decorating the cake by scattering the cookie dirt around the cake. Then, apply the meringue mushrooms, cranberries, and rosemary. Dust the log with powdered sugar.

Step back for a moment to admire the completed masterpiece! 🥹 Take lots of pictures! Use a serrated knife to cut slices, then add some cookie dirt and meringue mushrooms to each plate. Here’s a toast to a great holiday and a great New Year! 🥂

⭐️Notes⭐️ - A baking tea towel is recommended for this recipe. They are easy to find online (I purchased mine from Amazon). They are NOT the same as a kitchen towel which has a rough or fluffy texture. If you use a kitchen towel to roll this cake, you’re gonna have a bad time. ☹️

⭐️Notes⭐️ - While I used a stand mixer, everything can be completed using a hand mixer. Whipping everything by hand is also possible (but tiring). - You can make this recipe as simple or as complex as you choose. If you wanted to just make the cake and the filling, you could stop there and simply dust the roll with powdered sugar before serving.

⭐️Notes⭐️ - After applying the chocolate ganache to the cake, you can use the tines of a fork to form a bark pattern on the log instead of decorating it with chocolate shards. - The meringue mushrooms and sugared cranberries and rosemary are certainly beautiful additions, but they are not required.

⭐️Notes⭐️ - Making components ahead of time over the course of a few days is a good way to pace yourself and ensure that everything goes perfectly on the day of presentation. - It’s worth watching a few Yule log videos online to help you roll and assemble the cake without too many mishaps. Remember, even if it cracks, falls apart, or looks messy, it will still be edible and delicious!