Luck of the Irish

White Chocolate Irish Potato Candy

Everyone getting ready for this weekend's extravaganza to celebrate the good ol' St.Patrick?! Well if not grab a big old cup of coffee, top it with some Bailey's and whip up a batch of these little nibblets of goodness. Yes I said nibblets.
Irish Potatoes are a almost like a coconut truffle and despite their
name they were not created in Ireland and they do not contain any potato. They are super sweet but not too sweet thanks to the cinnamon they are rolled in.

If you aren't a fan of coconut they defiantly have an acquired taste. However if you enjoy a good coconut treat then these are great.

I always try to doctor a recipe to make it my own or experiment to change the flavor in almost every recipe I try. I did just that with these. I had been following my Mom's recipe for years, which is exactly the same as every other recipe out there. I had a little bit of white chocolate left and decided to melt that into the mixture. I also added a dash of nutmeg to the cinnamon coating.

Well, I must say I am quite amazed at how wonderful they tasted with these additions. I was never a huge fan of these and could only just one, if that. Yet I found myself eating one after the other. The white chocolate, cream cheese, and coconut just blend beautifully together.

I even made them into a cupcake. You'll have to wait for that recipe. So for now I hope you enjoy these!

White Chocolate Irish Potato Candy

Ingredients

• 2-3 oz white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 package cream cheese (4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1 small bowl filled with brown cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. In large mixing bowl beat together cream cheese and butter until combined.
2. Add melted white chocolate, mix until combined. Followed by the vanilla.
3. Using a sifter gradually add the powdered sugar.
4. Add the coconut and set in fridge for 10-15. This will make it easy to roll into balls.
5. Remove from the fridge and form small balls at the size of your liking and roll in the cinnamon and nutmeg mixture.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

with Oreo cookie crust

Well hello strangers! I am super excited to be back in blogging action. Lots has been going on since my last post. New job, new hours, new tiredness. Regardless I am back with lots to share. Some great dinners and cupcakes coming up.

First I will share with you this SUPER easy dessert. I used boxed pudding which saved lots of time and steps. However if you are feeling a step above Betty Crocker than go ahead and try this pudding recipe.

You can also use a pre-made crust but they are extremely easy to make. All it takes is some cookie crumbs and melted butter and there ya go.

You can also make this slightly healthier by using the reduced sugar and calorie pudding packets with skim milk but be prepared for lack of flavor. I used a regular pudding mix with low fat chocolate milk. Really amps up the chocolate flavor while cutting the fat down a little.

The making of the pie took a little less than 15 minutes. If you don't have a food processor to crush the cookies it might take a tad longer. But beating a bag of cookies is very therapeutic.

It does have to set in the fridge for a few hours so go ahead and make this earlier in the day or the day before you want to enjoy it.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Ingredients

• 1 packet of chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups low fat chocolate milk, make your own by adding chocolate syrup to the low fat milk
• 24 Oreo cookies, crushed
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan stir together pudding packet and milk.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. While pudding is cooling, crush Oreo cookies in a large zip top bag or in a food processor, until you have a fine crumb.
5. Empty crumbs into a bowl and pour in melted butter.
6. Mix until butter is absorbed and pour into pie dish, pressing down to form crust.
7. Pour the melted pudding over the crust.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in refrigerator for 3 or more hours.
9. Serve chilled.