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Monday, April 23, 2012

Brownie Macadamia White Chocolate Cookies

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I've been hoarding some macadamia nuts in my pantry for awhile now. Last year I made White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (to die for!) and discovered just how pricey they were. Since then, I've been veeeeery selective about how I use the nuts, wanting to save them for only the very best recipes!

Okay, in the grand scheme of things, the nuts are a lot cheaper than say, a new pair of shoes (I just picked up these on Saturday!), so I'm not sure why I feel the need to ration my macadamias. Regardless, when I saw these brownie macadamia white chocolate cookies in Joy the Baker's cookbook, I knew they were worth using up the remainder of my macadamia nuts!
Once again, Joy did not disappoint! They truly have the fudgy taste and texture of a brownie, and the salty bite of the macadamia nut was the best part. While I can't choose a favorite between this version and the classic, I can adamantly proclaim that I will be buying more macadamia nuts!

These stay good for up to five days at room temperature, but don't expect them to last that long!
One Year Ago: Mini Truffle Tarts

Chocolate Brownie Cookies with White Chocolate and Roasted Macadamia Nuts

Ingredients:
-8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chunks (I used Ghirardelli chips)
-3 tbsp unsalted butter
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder (optional)
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-3 large eggs
-3/4 cup white chocolate chips
-3/4 cup macadamia nuts (roasted and salted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Simmer 2 inches of water in a medium-sized saucepan. Place bittersweet chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over (not touching) the simmering water to create a double boiler. Melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Remove from the simmering water and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set the mixture aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. Whisk the granulated sugar, espresso powder (if using), and vanilla extract into the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add the chocolate mixture, all at once, to the flour mixture and fold to incorporate. Stir in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts. The batter will be thick.
5. Place tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes (cookies should be slightly underdone). Allow cookies to rest for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheets and cooling completely on a cooling rack. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature (separate by layers of wax paper) for up to 5 days.