Hooray, it’s National Macadamia Nut Day! Annually on Sept. 4, we're celebrating this special nut.
Now I’ve found that mac nuts are an undervalued nut. They are buttery and creamy due to their high oil content and can be used in a wide-range of savory and sweet dishes—everything from mac nut-crusted meats for dinner, sugar-roasted mac nuts for snack, or even in crusts of pies for a sweet treat.
While in Hawaii we enjoyed our fair share of mac nuts as they are a local favorite. Introduced to the islands in the 1800s, Hawaii now has more than 700 farms and 8 processing plants dedicated to this soft, white nut.
And while basically all of Hawaii’s mac nuts are produced on the Big Island, they are harvested and processed year round so you’re always enjoying the freshest nuts.
Fun Fact: It takes 300 pounds per square inch to break the shell of a macadamia nut, making them the hardest of all nut shells.
Well it’s Monday (again). Sometime I feel like it’s always Monday, but then I found out about today’s food holiday and was immediately feeling like the always-popular, deliciously-satisfying mac nut cookie could add some smiles to the beginning of the week.
The nut’s mildly sweet flavor and soft texture makes an excellent cookie addition. Typically you’ll find mac nut cookies made with white chocolate, but we had a few boxes of Hawaiian Host Chocolate-covered Island Macs from our vacation left over so milk chocolate macadamia nut cookies it is!
Gluten-Free, Chocolate-covered Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose, gluten-free flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 (5oz) box of Hawaiian Host Chocolate-Covered Island Macs
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt. Whisking well to eliminate any lumps.
- Add butter, eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition.
- When combined the dough will be thick.
- Remove the chocolate-covered mac nuts from their packaging and place in a small Ziplock bag.
- Place bag on folded kitchen towel (to cushion the counter) and break down the nuts into small pieces with a kitchen mallet.
- Add cornstarch to the bag and toss until pieces are coated.
- Add the mac nuts to the dough and mix until nuts are well-distributed.
- Roll 2 tsp balls of dough and place roughly 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Gently press down on each ball creating small disks then placing the baking sheet in the fridge for 5 minutes.
- Once dough is firm, transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.
- Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
