White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

April 16, 2013 by 1 Comment

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

 

Last week, I was searching for an easy dessert that would be kid-friendly yet sophisticated enough to serve with a nice meal.  Since I planned on sharing the meal with our neighbors, I had to be at the top of my culinary game.  The kids requested cookies, but to me chocolate chip cookies just are too ordinary to be impressive.   I landed on this version of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.  The saltiness of the macadamia nuts go perfectly with the sweet white chocolate.  Plus, it’s just a little bit more refined than its chocolate chip cousin.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 36
 
A flavorful change from the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Macadamia nuts give these cookies a salty goodness that highlights the sweet chocolate.
Ingredients
  • 1 C. butter, softened
  • ¾ C. brown sugar
  • ½ C. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2½ C. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 C. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
  • 1¼ C. white chocolate chips

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, and eggs together.
  3. Add eggs, one at at time. Add vanilla and almond extract.
  4. Next, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well-combined.
  5. Add nuts and chocolate chips.
  6. Drop teaspoons of batter onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Filed Under: Cookies and Bars, Desserts Tagged With: ,

Toffee Club Crackers

December 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

http://www.mommysavers.com/category/blog/deals-and-shopping/online-bargains/amazon-deals/

These Toffee Club Crackers were something I remember my Grandma making at Christmastime. I’m not sure I got the recipe quite right, but they were delicious (almost addictive!) nonetheless. There are many, many variations of these cracker cookies. I also have a recipe that uses graham crackers and pecans – also delicious. Really, the possibilities are endless.

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Toffee Club Crackers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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Serves: 40 pieces
 
Ingredients
  • ½ stick butter
  • ½ stick margarine
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • Chocolate drizzle (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out one sleeve of Club crackers on a baking sheet. Meanwhile, heat butter, margarine and sugar in a medium saucepan until bubbly. Pour over the Club crackers. Press slivered almonds onto the tops of the crackers. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Once cool, add a drizzle of chocolate (optional) made from melted chocolate chips or chocolate almond bark.

 

Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Cookies and Bars Tagged With: ,

Pecan Tassies: It Wouldn’t Be Christmas Without Them!

December 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

pecan tassies recipe

For our family, it wouldn’t be Christmas without these Pecan Tassies.  My grandmother made them and passed the recipe on down to my mom, and now I’m making them too.   Be warned:  it’s nearly impossible to eat just one!

Frugal Tips:  Don’t forget that you can store nuts in the freezer indefinitely.  It prevents the oils in them from becoming rancid and giving them a spoiled taste.  That said, you can save a lot by buying them in bulk and freezing what you can’t use right away.

Related Mommysavers Forum Conversation:  Fill in the blank:  It just wouldn’t be Christmas without _____________. 

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Pecan Tassies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 24
 
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without these treats.
Ingredients
  • ⅓ C. cream cheese
  • ½ C. butter, softened
  • 1 C. flour
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ C. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ⅔ C. pecans
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, butter, and flour. Refrigerate dough for one hour.
  2. Remove from refrigerator and press into mini tart pans (yield: 24). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat egg, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans until bubbly. Remove from heat and spoon into tarts. Bake for 25 minutes

 

Filed Under: Cookies and Bars, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies

December 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

cranberry orange pinwheel cookies

 

cranberry vaseFor some, it wouldn’t be Christmas without baking something with cranberries.  They’re colorful, tangy, and good for you to boot.  These Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies are great to bring to a holiday cookie exchange.  The dough can be prepared days ahead of time, which is nice.

I like to use cranberries in decorating as well as baking.  If you’re entertaining, save some cranberries to make this cute candle holder.  I snipped some greens from a shrub in my front yard, layered with cranberries, and added water so they floated to the top.  Next, I added a tealight candle and a little red baker’s twine.  So simple, yet very frugal and pretty!

Frugal Tip:  Many people don’t realize that fresh cranberries can be frozen.  Cranberries are in season right now, so buy them on sale and freeze them for later!

This was originally posted here:  25 Days of Christmas Treats

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Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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Serves: 24-30
 
These zesty pinwheel cookies are as pretty as they are delicious!
Ingredients
  • 1½ C. flour
  • ¼ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ C. butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ C. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ⅓ C. finely chopped fresh cranberries
  • ½ C. finely chopped pecans
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, combine the first three dry ingredients. Set aside.
  2. Next, cream the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Add dry ingredients until mixture forms a dough. Refrigerate one hour or more.
  3. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, pecans and orange zest.
  4. On a floured surface, roll the dough to a 10″ square. Sprinkle the cranberry/pecan mixture onto the dough, leaving about an inch on each of the ends. Press into dough slightly, then roll in a jelly-roll fashion. Wrap in wax paper and freeze 4 hours or overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 375. Slice the dough in ¼″ rounds and place on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

 

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