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Friday 20 November 2009

Almond and Macadamia Nut Cookies



I have been meaning to write about these forever. They are one of my favourite cookies. I say one, because anyone who tells you that they only have one favourite cookie is simply not being realistic. One? Please.

How could these not be your favourite?

Everybody and their dog seems to like chocolate chip cookies, and while I would never turn one of them down (well, would you? Didn't think so.), I don't think chocolate is really where it's at when it comes to biscuits and cakes. It's nice. Don't get me wrong. But it's not the best thing in the world. I'm not trying to style myself as one of those über trendy-types, who fashionably claim not to like chocolate unless it's dark and has at least 70% cocoa solids when I say that. (And for the record, fashionistas, you aren't fooling anyone.) I just think that chocolate is best when it's a piece of chocolate. Turning it into, cookies, or cakes, or even ice-cream, seems unnecessary. It doesn't improve it. *

Not everybody shares my view though. So I have dutifully added some white chocolate to today's recipe to try and please the chocoholics, who would otherwise feel that they were missing out. But, really, the star players here are my favourites... The nuts! And so, without further ado...

You could add even more...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

These are my Almond and Macadamia Nut cookies. And you should make some.

I think the greatest thing about them is the texture. Soft, and chewy, with chunks of almond and whole macadamia nuts, they make a seriously satisfying pick-me-up with a cup of tea at around four o'clock. Not that that's how I eat them. Usually, when I've made cookies, they go from jar to mouth, before the tea has even brewed. Unless we've company. Then they go on a nice plate.

I know macadamias are the most expensive nuts (although the price of pecans also has to be seen to be believed - who buys them? Do they remortgage beforehand?), but they are also the most delicious; I love the waxy crunch. I think you'd miss them if you left them out, but you could play with this however you like otherwise. Substitute walnuts for the almonds; use peanuts instead, or, and I can't believe I didn't think of this before, crumble in a Mr. Tom bar (my love for Mr. Tom has been detailed elsewhere - Mr. Other P and I will drive to get one if we have to).

It's a strange feeling to wax lyrical about a recipe you made up yourself, but these really are sensational. And they make a great gift, as once baked, they'll keep in a jar for a whole week. The nuts help to keep everything nice and moist.


The unbaked dough is more than perfectly edible as it is!

Some notes:

  • I flavoured them with maple extract, because I have some from a trip to America; vanilla would be fine, cinnamon would be insanely good.
  • Bake them for longer if you prefer crisp biscuits. 15 minutes should do it. I like them under-baked, so stop at 9-10.
  • Using dark and light brown sugar gives a nice flavour, but at the end of the day, sugar is sugar. Use what you have!
  • I wouldn't mind if you added 75g dessicated coconut.


* The one exception to this that I know of is double chocolate chip cookies, which have dark, bitter cocoa mixed into the chocolate chip-studded cookie dough; I accept that in that case, culinary nirvana is more than achieved.

Almond and Macadamia Nut Cookies


You will need:

125g butter
150g soft light brown sugar
25g soft dark brown sugar
2 eggs
225g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp maple extract
100g raw macadamia nuts
100g raw almonds
150g chocolate chips, white for preference (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Chop the almonds, but leave the macadamias whole. Toast the nuts in a hot frying pan until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add the extract and eggs. Mix well.
  4. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add the salt and sifted ingredients to the egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Fold in the cooled nuts and chocolate chips.
  5. Using an ice-cream scoop (as always), drop small mounds of the mixture on the baking sheet. Leave plenty of space for the cookies to spread.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown at the edges. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
  7. When cool, keep in a biscuit barrel, tin or jar.

32 comments:

  1. wow very mouth watering, makes me want to dive right into the screen....glad you added the chocolate :)

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  2. I wish I had some of these right now! I'm gonna whip some up and even sprinkle some white chocolate in the batter so a couple of cookies have that taste sensation. Thx for sharing!

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  3. This looks so awesome! I love it! Very great job!

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  4. I would not trust myself alone with these!

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  5. Lovely cookies. Love the chunkiness!

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  6. love these cookies...mmm. Love the macadamia nuts and choc chips added. I can imagine the wonderful taste at every bite.

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  7. Oooh, these look amazing! I love the idea of maple extract!

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  8. Ask R and L about their pecan pie recipe. Worth remortgaging for, without a doubt. xx

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  9. mmm...these cookies look just perfect, I love the combination of almond and macadamia, and of course the chocolate!

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  10. Wow, I'm salivating, just hope to catch a bite to see for myself.

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  11. I love nuts in cookies and the addition of chocolate is just one more reason to love these.

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  12. very delicious cookies! I would love to have some with a nice hot cup of hot cocoa

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  13. I'm not gonna lie... I do love white chocolate in my cookies and biscuits. I'm not too big on the double chocolate chip kind with chocolate dough AND chocolate chips but I think white choc is amazing in them. Lol at '70% cocoa solids' snobs... I know whatcha mean. Whats wrong with Dairy Milk? :p

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  14. You have convinced me to try these cookies. The texture is very appealing!

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  15. Great cookies! They look wonderful :)

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  16. Thanks all for your comments! I really appreciate them.

    Pegasus - I am glad as well really. They were go-oo-od. :)

    TC - Let me know how it goes!

    Mary Moh - that's high praise from someone who cooks as well as you! :)

    Tam, Tasty Eats, Cheah, Karine, Jessie, Miranda, Kathy, Ellie, Noelle and Stacy - Thank you each and all!

    Kathy G - Funny, I always think that when I look at your vegetables. Except, leaving me alone with those wouldn't necessitate a dentist, like these would. :)

    Sanjana - My point exactly. It is ALL about the Dairy Milk. Birmingham's finest!

    VM - Try 'em out!

    Solange - Cheers!

    Canuck - let me know how they work out for you!

    Sophie - They called many names. That's why they're GONE. :(

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  17. Kalamari - Took me ages to figure out who you meant!

    I have now though. And they never told me they had a pecan pie recipe. Sometimes I feel like I don't even know them anymore!

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  18. My mouth is seriously watering. These cookies look amazing! I'm going to give these a try for the holidays but who knows how many of them will actually make it to any parties. I may devour them at home. What is a Mr. Tom bar?

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  19. I am not a big fan of nuts in cookies, but yours look delicious...!!

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  20. those cookies look SO incredibly good! and all I have to nibble on are pretzels. i now am food jealous ;)

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  21. Oh damn, oh damn, there goes my diet. Must find macadamia nuts! Your cookies look gorgeous, and that recipe sounds fantastic!

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  22. I love these cookies so much! I make them with raisins, hazelnuts and cinnamon. They are the most awesome cookies ever! Thanks so much for posting them!

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  23. Can I just say, how much I adore these cookies? To me (and to my significant other and to my family and to anyone else I ever let have one of these) this is the perfect cookie base - I make them with tons of raisins and hazelnut (my favorite) or cranberries and almonds or with plenty of cocoa, dark chocolate and hazelnuts (so favorite). Absolutely yummy! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  24. Thanks so much for this recipe! The cookies taste amazing. I've been following your blog for quite a while, and I love it.
    I made these cookies the other day and have done a post on them:
    http://thesugarlump.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/macadamia-almond-white-chocolate-chip.html

    :)

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  25. Philippine pili nuts from the Bicol region in the Philippines is a great Filipino or Philippines food or snack. Pili nuts are very healthy and nutritious indeed, being a source of energy, potassium and iron.They also have protein, dietary fiber / fibre, and calcium as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  I know they have no cholesterol, no trans fat, and the unsalted ones have no sodium. What is great about the pili nut snack or treat is that they are so crisp, rich, and delicious.

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  26. These cookies will be excellent for my anniversary this Monday. Thanks for sharing this post

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  27. Magnificent post. thanks for sharing

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That's what he said.

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