Vanilla cashew clusters

I adore cashews and I love making easy snack mixes that involve nuts - whether as a nibble for a party, to pack up and gift to friends, or just to have around as a snack.

These vanilla cashew clusters I spotted from The Kitchn were too easy to resist.  Did I mention I love cashews?  I really do, and these simply involve a bag of cashews that you toss with an egg white, (brown and granulated) sugar, a touch of cinnamon, and vanilla extract to give them a fun sweet flavor with a little spice.  Let the oven do the rest of the work, toasting the nuts and setting that sweet coating on top.

I made these for friends and I'm hoping they like cashews as much as I do.  I also brought some along to a gathering with my family; they're terrific with drinks.  You can also enjoy them with yogurt for breakfast, as a topping for an ice cream sundae, or just pack up a bag and take them along on a road trip or as a snack on the go.  

In other words, there are plenty of ways to enjoy these and plenty of reasons to make a batch!

Cashew financiers

No doubt about it, these little French tea cakes, known as financiers, are one of my all-time favorite treats.  My husband and I just adore them and they are my favorite ways to use up egg whites.  Since I've been making plenty of ice cream this summer, I've had the chance to whip up a few batches.

This might be getting old...I've talked about this a lot!  I know it and I just can't help it. I've taken the original financier recipe and made hazelnut, pistachio, and matcha versions.  I usually stick with the original but since I make these often enough, it's fun to change it up a little.  Basically, I'll make any excuse to make, eat, and post about these darling little cakes!

This time, I made a batch using cashew nuts.  At the very basic level, financiers are super moist sponge cakes made here with browned butter, egg whites, sugar, ground nuts (normally almonds but you can vary this like I do, this time with cashews) and a little flour.  I'm telling you, the result is magical!  It's nutty, it's super moist and tender, and full of this amazing brown butter flavor.

We adore cashews.  Growing up, my mother fried cashews for a chicken and cashew stir-fry dish that was, and still is, a family favorite.  I cook with it myself at home and it's a favorite nut to snack on (I used to keep just almonds on hand for snacking but in the past year, I started roasting batches of mixed nuts and keeping a jar on hand...everyone digs for the cashews!).  Lately, I've been thinking it would be fun to incorporate cashews a bit more into my baking.

The funny thing is, in this case, these cashew financiers don't taste all that different from the standard ones made with ground almonds.  In other words, they turned out utterly delicious!  

I often tuck a little chestnut cream (my stash of which has been replenished thanks to my sister hauling back several cans for me from her vacation in Europe) into our financiers and that is incredible!  This time, I put a little peach jam into one - you can use any kind of jam or even plop a piece of fruit inside.  And you see that runny center there?  Here's the thing - it's a little under-baked, on purpose.  

Peach jam inside...and an under-baked center, which I do often because it's really tasty!

We think that a gooey center, where the batter isn't quite baked through, is the best part (that and the crisp edges)!  It's very much like under-baking brownies or cookies for that soft, gooey center.  Maybe you wouldn't want to serve them this way to guests but for eating ourselves, we like them under-bake.  This is a matter of personal preference; if you prefer the cakes fully set, just leave the batter out at room temperature a little longer before baking and keep them in the oven a few extra minutes; you could test it with a cake tester.  They're fabulous either way.

Holiday snack mix - spiced, glazed nuts & pretzels

With New Year's celebrations approaching, I bring you another little nibble to consider having alongside your glass of champagne or other drink of choice.

I actually made this "holiday snack mix" - another recipe from the awesome David Lebovitz - last weekend for my Christmas party.  I served it up alongside the drinks as a little something to nosh on.  This holiday snack mix is pretty irresistible...there's the crunch, the warm-smokiness of the nuts, and the combination of sweet and salty that's so appealing.

I used a combination of nuts I like most: walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and almonds, alongside pretzels.  Add cinnamon and chili powder for the spice while some brown sugar and maple syrup provide the sweetness.  Somewhere in between, there's just a bit of melted butter and a scattering of flaky sea salt.  I was a little nervous about the cinnamon, particularly with chili powder, but I trusted my unofficial baking guru and I liked the combination.  There's actually a "holiday" flavor to them...

This snack mix (holiday or not) is easy and fun to make, great for a crowd.  Plus, it makes a great hostess gift too.  I'm glad I followed my instinct and made a little extra!