Favorite Things Friday #6 & White Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies

Happy Friday!

Any chocolate lovers out there?...

One of my favorite things is chocolate especially white chocolate or any chocolate where caramel is involved! :)

It just so happens that the cookies I made for the Pinterest Party last weekend included white chocolate...and cherries and almonds!  Yum :)

Chewy and fruity...just right for the holidays!

The recipe I followed for these White Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies can be found here or on my Food pin board.

The recipe makes 72 cookies!  I made a half batch and that was plenty to go around.  You could make the full batch and give them away in little gift boxes.

If you love white chocolate, you might also like these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cupcakes,

this White Chocolate Snack Mix,

or these Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti dipped in white chocolate!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Snack Mix

This recipe brings back some sweet memories!

I first tried it back in high-school on a summer getaway trip to Lake Cumberland with a great friend and her family.  I'm sure there was a lot of swimming, seadooing, skiing, game playing, and exploring but I'd have to get out my photo album to remember exactly what we did on that trip.  However, I specifically remember sitting on the couch inside the houseboat snacking on this addicting mix and chatting about whatever was on our teenage minds.  It was the best!

Here is how to make it:

White Chocolate Snack Mix

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat or rice square cereal

2 cups broken graham crackers

2 cups pretzel sticks

1 cup broken rice cakes

1 cup M&Ms (I used Fall colors this time.)

1 cup tiny marshmallows

1 cup lightly salted peanuts

1lb white chocolate baking pieces/bars

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 Tablespoon light colored corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients (cereal, crackers, nuts, etc) in a large bowl.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Place white chocolate, whipping cream, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted.  Remove from heat and stir gently until smooth.  Stir in almond extract.

Pour warm chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and toss gently until coated.  Spread onto prepared cookie sheet.  Let cool at least 60 minutes.  Store in an air-tight container.

The best part of the story is a few days after I made this mix, I texted my girlfriend to tell her and she had just made it the weekend before!  Great minds think alike! :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok, ok, I know it's not fall but I could not stand looking at the lone can of pumpkin pie mix in my pantry any longer.  I remember seeing a recipe where you combine only yellow cake mix and a can of pumpkin to make supposedly a moist cupcake.  I decided to give it a try but with a twist by using pumpkin pie mix instead of plain pumpkin and adding in these little babies...white chocolate chips!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

1 box (18.25oz) Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix

1 can (15oz) pumpkin pie mix

1 cup Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips

Yes, these are the only ingredients you'll need!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pans with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with non-stick spray.  Combine the cake mix and pumpkin pie mix in a mixer until fairly smooth.  Stir in the white chocolate chips.  Fill each cup about 2/3 full.  These cupcakes won't rise too much but will be soft and moist inside!  I got 22 average size cupcakes from this batter.  Let them cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING

Ingredients:

12 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Directions:

Cut the softened (not melted) butter into chunks and cream together with the cream cheese.  Add in the vanilla and mix.  Gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar until combined then add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness.  Beat on medium until creamy.  Your frosting should be a room temperature when topping your cupcakes.  Store any leftover in the refrigerator and use for dipping graham crackers (yum)!

These are like a mix of pumpkin and spice cake all in one little treat.  And, the homemade cream cheese frosting is the perfect match!  Try this easy recipe now for a little taste of fall or Pin It and save it for later!

Linking up at Semi Homemade Mom!

Healthy Snackin'

These days I'm pretty much always on the go which means I have little time to sit down and eat a full meal.  So, to keep my energy up, I try to have a couple wholesome snacks and a few small meals throughout the day.  Here is one of my favorite afternoon snacks!

 

 

I buy a bulk bag of Healthy Snackin' trail mix from Fresh Market.  Although any all natural trail mix will do, I prefer this one with raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cashews.  At home, I measure out about 1/4 cup of the trail mix and add in about 1 tablespoon of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips for a satisfying, healthy snack.

 

White Chocolate Trail Mix

1/4 cup all natural trail mix
1 tablespoon white chocolate chips

Mix together and enjoy!

Nutrition:

Calories 220, Fat 14.5g, Carbs 21g, Sodium 20mg, Protein 6g