Holiday Food, Recipes, Snack

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GoNutsForNuts #CollectiveBias

Guys, it’s been quite the week baking up some delicious treats to include for neighbor gifts…plus the normal tastiness I like whipping up for ourselves. Today I’ve got not one, but TWO amazing recipes that are now some of our favorites! You can make these Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix in a jiffy!

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Do many of you worry about neighbor gifts this time of the month? I feel like I’m way behind, but there’s still 3 weeks until Christmas! I just want to get things done, so I can really ENJOY the season with my family, not be stressing about ‘did we get a plate of goodies to so-and-so?’ Luckily, these quick recipes require little effort, yet are seriously wonderful! Just swing by Walmart and grab the Cocoa Almonds and Limited Edition Winter Spiced Mix from the Planters fun Sleigh display (my store’s display was totally blocked, so I just went to the snack aisle for the other Planters Display).

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Cocoa Almond Cookies

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom's Helper #GoNutsForNuts #Ad #Cookies #SnackMix

Since there’s plenty of people (believe it or not) that don’t like chocolate, I wanted a special cookie that had fabulous flavor without being overwhelming. I absolutely LOVE how these turned out, and the entire family (include no-chocolate Hubby) were happy with them!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter, soft
  • 2/3 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1 tsp. Almond Extract
  • 1 cup Ground Planter’s Cocoa Almonds
  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

To get the Cocoa Almonds ground, just put them in your blender and ‘grind’ them up really quick!

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line two baking sheets, then set aside.
  2. In a mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to the paddle attachment and add in the ground almonds and flour until everything’s well-combined.
  3. Roll into 1″ balls and put on the prepared baking sheets, pressing down slightly on each ball. Bake for 10 minutes, then add a single Cocoa Almond on the top center of each cookie and press it in just barely. Continue cooking about 5 more minutes. If you want, you can also dust the finished cookies with powdered sugar!

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

 Winter Spice Holiday Mix

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Ingredients

  •  Planter’s Limited Edition Winter Spiced Mix
  • White melting chocolate
  • Add-ins of choice (craisins, chocolate candies, cheerioes, whatever)

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Directions

  1. Put your Winter Spiced Mixed Nuts in a bowl, and stir in your desired add-ins. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
  2. Melt your white chocolate, and pour it over the nut mixture. Mix well, so everything is covered evenly. Spread the mixture on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and stick in the fridge so the chocolate can set. Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom Once it’s set, remove and break the clumps apart. Store in an airtight container.

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Want to throw a little FUN into your holiday baking? Then you’ve gotta check out Planters free Blippar app! All you do is pull it up on your smartphone, hold it up to one of the products, then it pulls up some neat interactive options.

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

You can browse recipe ideas, or play with their cool Selfie option!

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

This was my favorite part, and I enjoyed adding it to some of my holiday baking pics!

Cocoa Almond Cookies & Winter Spice Holiday Mix / by Busy Mom

If you need more inspiration, check out the Cooking Up Good website. They have recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!

This content may contain affiliate links. We earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. We may earn money, free services or complementary products from the companies mentioned in this post. All opinions are ours alone…