Vanilla-Spice Nuts

Here is yet another treat I had never made before - homemade spiced nuts. If I'd known it was this easy I wouldn't have waited so long. But more than easy, this recipe is special because it really has the flavor proportions perfect. The vanilla is there, but not overpowering. The cinnamon, allspice and cardamom are delicious but not too strong. And go ahead, take the leap and add 1/4 tsp ground red pepper for the slightest bit of heat. I promise, it's not too much, it just adds that extra oomph that you will love.

I put these nuts in my give-away goody boxes this year because it's a nice reprieve from cookies - they're festive but snacky, and oh-so-crunchy. Follow the recipe exactly to keep from over toasting the nuts.
Vanilla-Spice Nuts
1 T vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground red pepper, optional

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Combine 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and egg white in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until foamy. Stir in nuts. Combine sugar and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and sprinkle sugar mixture over nuts, tossing to coat. Place nut mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Turn off oven. Toss nuts, and break large pieces apart. Return pan to oven, and leave pan in oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Recipe from Cooking Light, December 2010

Click here for printable recipe

Macadamia Fudge Brownies

During the big snowstorm in February, our neighbor stopped by. She was in tears from a personal crisis and just needed someone to talk to. We listened, sympathized, tried to comfort her. After awhile she left to go on a walk in the snow. I turned to Ed and said, "I need to make her some cookies." He agreed.

Not that chocolate really solves anything. Like most people in such a position, I just wanted to do something, to feel like I was helping. I'd spent the entire snow weekend tackling ambitious, and largely unsuccessful, baking projects (sigh), so I was running low on butter, eggs and flour. I needed a recipe that required little of each, and was highly likely to turn out well. I almost made Death by Chocolate Cookies (not enough block semisweet) or Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies (my bananas weren't brown enough.) Then in flipping through my cookie/bar folder I found this little gem, which was perfect since I happened to have macadamia nuts (I don't always.)

Oh, man. These brownies are PERFECT. Rich, fudgy, dark, and those macadamias! Who knew they would be so good in brownies? These definitely rank very near the top of THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER MADE. Even Ed, who's more of an ice cream guy, shook his head in disbelief and went for a second and third.

Macadamia Fudge Brownies

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup plus 3 T chopped macadamia nuts

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil; set aside.

2. Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the butter in a large microwav-safe bowl (make sure it is large - this is the bowl you'll be mixing all the batter in.) Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, if needed.

3. Whisk in sugar, then eggs. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Fold in 2/3 cup of the chopped macadamia nuts and the vanilla. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 for 25 to 29 minutes.

5. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup chocolate chips over brownies and return to oven for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, and spread melted chips until smooth, to form a "frosting." Top with remaining 3 tablespoons nuts. Refrigerate 1 hour to firm chocolate, then cut into squares. Makes 16 brownies.

Recipe from Family Circle, February 2010

Banana Macadamia Pancakes with Orange Butter

Now here is a great pancake recipe. Different but not outrageous. Sophisticated but subtle. The bananas are soft and sweet, the nuts are buttery and gently crunchy, and the orange butter lends just enough flavor that you enjoy an essence as you exhale through your nose. And these are not a lot of work to make (though workwise, I prefer mashing bananas to cutting them into bits - they get a bit slippery.)

My girls informed me they wouldn't like these because there were nuts in them. They often tell me this, then eat whatever I was making without complaint. This was no exception, and in fact I think the mild flavor of macadamias was appealing to them. Ginger even asked for a handful on the side to eat with her pancakes.

Banana Macadamia Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 T sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

3 T unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 ripe large banana

1/2 cup salted roasted macadamia nuts, chopped (plus more for garnish if desired)

Orange Butter

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp finely grated fresh orange zest

1 1/2 tsp fresh orange juice

1/8 tsp salt

1. To make orange butter, stir ingredients together in small bowl until well combined.

2. To make pancakes, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, 2 T melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Cut banana into bits and fold into batter along with the nuts. Batter will be thick.

3. Brush a 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet with remaining tablespoon of melted butter and heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. (*Careful - I didn't think about my cheap brush having synthetic bristles and the ends all melted and got frayed and tangly.) Working in batches of 3, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake into hot skillet and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm, then make more pancakes, brushing skillet with butter for each batch. Serve with orange butter and maple syrup. Garnish with chopped macadamia nuts if desired.

Recipe from Gourmet, December 2002

White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins

I'm on a muffin kick. I have a huge stack of recipes to try. I had some good macadamia nuts in my cupboard so I moved these to the front of the queue. I took them to a church meeting and they all got eaten so whatever that's worth. People couldn't figure out what kind they were, though - almond? buttermilk? I think it's because the flavors are subtle - definite sweetness, definite nuttiness, but no obvious chunks (because they are the same color as the muffin.) But they're really, really good.White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze:

1/2 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate

2 T heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and melted butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the white chocolate and nuts.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothipick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

3. For glaze, in a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chips with cream; stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm muffins. Makes 12 muffins

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home, Feb/Mar 2006

Macademia-Maple Sticky Bars (by Michelle)

Guest Baker Michelle was one of my roommates and best friends at college. Later she became my favorite sister-in-law so the fun just continues. She lives in Harrogate, England.
These were really great. Something totally different from the ordinary Christmas plate fare that will stand-out. I took them to work and all of my co-workers raved about them. One even said "these taste like something you would get at Betty's." Supremely high praise indeed. The crust is like a maple cookie and the top is made like candy, but you don't need a candy thermometer. I am not a fan of ginger, but the crystallized ginger in this really help add flavor to these bars and keep them from being too sweet. A big hit.

I made these without reading the instructions fully so I accidentally added all the brown sugar into the crust. I also didn't have maple sugar so I used golden caster sugar instead. Caster sugar is a more finely ground sugar than standard granulated. Even with these two changes, it turned out fantastic. I am sure it would be even better made 100% correctly. When I had made the topping and put it on, I was worried it wouldn't set, but it did. They looked and tasted great.Macademia-Maple Sticky Bars
1/2 cup plus 6 T (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for dish
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 3 T packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons maple sugar
2 T light corn syrup
3 T heavy cream

1. Butter an 8-inch square baking disch; line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter lining (not overhand); set aside. Whisk flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup nuts in a bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachmnet; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Press dough evenly onto bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake until set in center and pale golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool slightly.

3. Put remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup nuts into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until butter is very foamy and nuts are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, the ginger, maple sugar, corn syrup, and cream. Boil, stirring constantlly, 2 minutes. Spread over crust. Let cool completely. Run a knife around non-partchment sides; lift out of dish by overhang. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.Recipe from marthastewart.com