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Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge | alidaskitchen.com #recipes #SundaySupper

Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge #SundaySupper

Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge is a vanilla flavored fudge studded with chunks of cream-filled chocolate sandwiches cookies made in less than 10 minutes.  

Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge | alidaskitchen.com #recipes

This past winter I made an easy White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge recipe and have since had visions of other varieties dancing in my head ~ this Oreo Cookies and Cream Fudge being the front runner.  From cupcakes to cookie balls to muffins, we love our cookies and cream desserts!  …

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White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge | alidaskitchen.com

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge #SundaySupper

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge is a wonderful, festive fudge recipe that is super easy to make with no candy thermometer required!

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge | alidaskitchen.com

Over the summer I found a fudge recipe that has now been sitting in my ‘to-make’ pile for months.  It’s for Pumpkin Pie Fudge, looks fabulous, but requires a candy thermometer.  Having to use a candy thermometer was just a little too high maintenance for what I had in mind, so the recipe sits.  Then I found a fudge recipe that requires no candy thermometer, and I was intrigued.  White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge that is super easy to make?  This could be wonderful (and dangerous!)

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White Cupcakes with Truffle Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

truffle filled white cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese icing

White Cupcakes with Truffle Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting are a fun cupcake with a gooey truffle center. They are super easy to make too!

This past weekend marked a special second birthday ~ Alida’s Kitchen turned 2!  Of course a birthday is not a birthday without cake, right?  I’ve been looking for a white chocolate cake for a long time and actually have several recipes I want to try.  This particular recipe won me over with two little words “truffle filling.”

truffle filled white chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese frosting

While the original recipe called this cake white chocolate, it strikes me as closer to a white cake with a little tang from the sour cream.  So my quest for a white chocolate cake continues, but these White Cupcakes with Truffle Filling are definitely tasty.  I used a combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate truffles for the center, and both were good.  The White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting deliciously rounds everything out, making these cupcakes worthy this special 2-year celebration!

White Cupcakes with Truffle Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 12 round white or dark chocolate truffles (such as Lindt)
  • Frosting:
  • 4 ounces white chocolate baking bar, chopped
  • 1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder.
  3. In a liquid measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form.
  5. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream, and continue beating until smooth.
  6. On medium speed, alternate adding flour and milk to butter mixture, ending with flour, and beat until smooth.
  7. Stir in ⅓ of the egg whites. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined.
  8. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Remove cupcakes from oven and while hot, cut a ½ inch "X" into the tops of each cupcake. Insert the truffle and press until truffle is flush with the top of the cupcake. Truffle will melt into cupcake. Let cool completely before frosting.
  10. Make frosting: Place white chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir. Continue in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool for 3 minutes.
  11. In a large bowl, combine melted chocolate, cream cheese, butter and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth.
  12. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.
Notes
Source: Pampered Chef

truffle filled white cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese icing

 

Apricot White Chocolate Scones

lighter dried apricot white chocolate chip scones


Happy New Year!  For a special New Year’s Day breakfast, I made these Apriot White Chocolate Scones.  I always forget how quick and easy scones are to make, plus they are much more economical to make at home than to buy them from a local coffee shop.  Tastier too!  The slight tartness of the dried apricots and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips are such a wonderful complement.  I made several changes to the original recipes to lighten it up a bit:  used fat free evaporated milk instead of half and half, used light butter and also replaced some flour with whole wheat pastry flour.  The result was a delicious scone with a nice, moist texture (no dry scones here!).

Apricot White Chocolate Scones
 
Yields: 8 scones
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅓ cup cold butter, cut in pieces (I used light butter)
  • ⅓ cup chopped dried apricots
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate baking chips
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup fat free evaporated milk
  • melted white chocolate and additional chopped apricots, for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside
  2. In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar and baking powder until combined.
  3. Add butter to food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Pour mixture into a medium bowl.
  4. Stir apricots and white chocolate chips into flour mixture. Stir in egg and gradually add evaporated milk until dough forms a ball (Note: You may need slightly less than ⅓ cup). Knead dough a few times while in bowl.
  5. Pat or roll dough into 8-inch round on prepared cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges (a pizza cutter works well) but DO NOT separate.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit on pan for 5 minutes and then separate wedges (Note: I used a serated knife to ensure clean cuts). Let cool completely.
  7. Optional set: Drizzle melted white chocolate and sprinkle with chopped dried apricots, if desired.

 

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Alida's Kitchen

Every time I drop Adam off at Preschool, he asks what I’m going to do while he’s at school.  Last week I told him laundry and other boring things.  He told me I should make something…I should make something with pumpkin.  Little did he know, I had these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies on my list of things to do, so easy enough.  I told him I would make some pumpkin cookies, and he just beamed!  That definitely sounds better than laundry 🙂

These Pumpkin White Chocolate Chips cookies are very soft with a little chewy bite from the oats.  I changed up the sugar ratio a bit from the original recipe because I love what brown sugar does to baked goods.  The original recipe calls for 1 egg, but I initially made a half recipe.  How do you cut an egg in half?  I used the full egg in half, and 2 in a full recipe.  The dough is a little gooey, so it helps to refrigerate it a bit before baking.    Otherwise I don’t know exactly how this impacts the recipe, but I do know these cookies are perfection and would not change a thing.

I am sharing these delightful cookies for week 3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, hosted by Meal Planning Magic.  While these cookies are perfect for any holiday cookie platter, I do think they would also make an excellent Halloween or Thanksgiving treat, or any time treat for other fellow pumpkin lovers!  

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
Yields: approximately 48 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1½ cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, cram butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
  3. Stir in flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in white chocolate chips.
  4. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.
  6. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Adapted from Taste of Home

If you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!

Reindeer Snack Mix

Reindeer Snack Mix {Alida's Kitchen}

What happens when you cross peanuts with pretzels and Reese’s peanut butter puffs cereal? This Reindeer Snack Mix, that’s what! Each ingredient on its own is fabulous, of course. When mixed together with some melted white chocolate, you have a snack mix that is really too good for words. Yes folks, I am speechless. Or maybe I am just too busy stuffing my face with more snack mix. 🙂 Either way, I will simply leave you with this. It’s the holidays. You are bound to have guests or to be a guest. Here is a fun and easy little snack that will leave everybody singing your praises this holiday season!

Reindeer Snack Mix {Alida's Kitchen}
Reindeer Snack Mix
 
Yields: about 3 quarts
Ingredients
  • 4½ cups Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs
  • 4 cups miniature pretzels
  • 12 ounces lightly salted peanuts
  • 12 ounces white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine cereal, pretzels and peanuts.
  2. In a microwave, melt the white chocolate chips; stir until smooth.
  3. Pour melted white chocolate over cereal mixture and toss to coat.
  4. Immediately spread onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Break into pieces and store in airtight container.

Source: Taste of Home: Cookies and more!

pretzel hershey's kiss and m&ms

Pretzel Kiss Candies

Pretzel Kiss Candies are the ultimate salty sweet treat made using only three ingredients. Colors can be customized for holidays and events, making these a go-to for any party! Make a lot, because they disappear quickly!!
Pretzel Kiss Candies | alidaskitchen.com

Pretzel Kiss Candies are a fun and easy treat for the holidays. These candies have been circulating around the web for some time now, and with good reason. They are easy and SO good! You have the salty-sweet thing going on, plus they are a cute addition to your holiday treat plate.  Use your favorite M&Ms for the topper, choosing whatever goes with your celebration.  The white chocolate Hershey’s Hugs tend to melt faster and smoother than their milk chocolate counterparts, but they are both equally delicious.

Simple to make, Pretzel Kiss Candies are perfect for a last minute get together, or simply because they mood strikes you. Whatever the reason, Pretzel Kiss Candies are a must-make for the holidays!

More easy pretzel treats:

Pretzel Kiss Candies | alidaskitchen.com

Pretzel Kiss Candies
 
Yields: varies
Ingredients
  • Square waffle-shaped pretzels
  • Hershey's Hugs or Kisses
  • M&Ms candy, any variety
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Set pretzels on lined cookie sheet. Place an unwrapped Hershey's Hug or Kiss on top of pretzel.
  3. Bake oven for 4-6 minutes until softened (note: Hugs will soften quicker than Kisses). Remove from oven and press an M&M candy into the center of each Hug/Kiss.
  4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then place in refrigerator to harden for 15 minutes to overnight.

Pretzel Kiss Candies | alidaskitchen.com

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

Raspberry season is upon us with a plethera of delicious berries to do with as we wish.

And I wish for Raspberry White Chocolate muffins.  Seriously.  I have been waiting all year for raspberry season just so I could make them.

These muffins are definitely one of those muffins.  The kind of muffins that feel like dessert for breakfast…and well….it kind of is.  But there’s fruit, so it’s totally legit.

Raspberry and white chocolate are such a classic combination.  The juicy raspberries burst in your mouth and the white chocolate chips provide a nice texture.  The cream cheese gives the batter a sticky consistency, resulting in beautiful, rustic-looking muffins.  Enjoy!
Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
 
Yields: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1 package (8 oz) light cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
  3. Combine the flour and baking powder.
  4. Add dry ingredients to the cream cheese mixture until just blended. Stir in chips. Gently fold in raspberries.
  5. Distribute batter evenly amongst 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.

 

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home: Cupcakes & Muffins