Holiday Baking

Nestleusa.com's photo of its blondies with the Macadamia nuts

In December, if you cook at all, chances are you want to do some Holiday baking. As one who is always on the lookout for new recipes, I enjoy reading new holiday baking recipes on the Internet, and in my cookbooks. Sometimes they have some amazingly delicious ingredients. For instance, my Nestle cookbook has at least two recipes for cookies with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

I noticed this because when we were traveling Thanksgiving week, my husband purchased some white chocolate chips. He likes putting chocolate in his signature dish, our Sunday waffles. Some time ago, I turned him onto white chocolate chips in waffles after I came across a recipe calling for this. So when he saw the white chocolate chips at Sierra Nut House, a coffee and gourmet goodies store in Fresno, he had to get them.

To me, white chocolate chips in December have to go into holiday baking. I have at least one party coming up this week where I'm supposed to bring something. So, even though everyone else may be doing the same thing, I'm bringing some cookies. With white chocolate chips.

But not with macadamia nuts. I went to a local grocery store and bought 8 oz. of walnuts for $3.79. (Not saying that's a good deal.) But the same grocery store had 4 oz. of macadamia nuts for $5.79. Now I love macadamia nuts, but I just can't justify spending $5.79 for a bag of macadamia nuts that will be going into cookies that will be served alongside maybe a few dozen other cookies that may look more festive. So despite Nestles' strong recommendation that white chocolate be paired with macadamias, mine are paired with walnuts. And they are delicious! They may not make it to the party, even though here at home they are competing for my taste buds' attention with some persimmon cookies a friend gave us last night.

My white chocolate creation is a simple recipe for blond brownies. The white chocolate chips, and another important ingredient I had on hand, coconut, are making them irresistible.

White Chocolate/Coconut Blondies

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup (6 oz.) white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9" square baking pan. Cream together sugar, butter and vanilla. Add egg. Sift in dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly, stir in chips, walnuts and coconuts. Press batter into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

By the way, I'm bringing crackers and clam dip to my party this week too. Remember my post a few days ago about finding asparagus at the 99 cents store? They had canned clams too. I will be using a very simple recipe, adapted from a very old McCall's cookbook for this dip. Mix the clams with small containers of sour cream and soft cream cheese, and add some seasonings. I have all kinds of seasonings on hand. As for the rest of this stuff, I wonder if the 99-cent store has it too?