Domestic Goddess has launched a new effort, Sugar High Fridays. I forget what the balance of the acronym stands for but the SHF sums it up enough. The first effort involves cooking with white chocolate. I'm a purist. I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate. It's not really chocolate. At times it can be elegant particularly when paired with fruits. But next to the complex and sexy dark chocolate well, bah.
But I do like a group challenge so here I am with the only way that I do like white chocolate, Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Macadamia nuts are a rich, buttery tasting nut. They are so high in fat and calories that I only think of them as very, very special occasion only type of eating. I associate macadamia nuts with trips to Hawaii. Every where you go throughout the islands there are huge displays of macadamia nut products, gift packs of dry roasted nuts, chocolate covered nuts, macadamia nut brittle and cookies.
Surprisingly Australia, is the world's top producer, followed closely by Hawaii, Africa then Guatemala, according to a recent USDA report.
In the early 1900s a sugar plantation manager from the Big Island, visited Australia and was impressed by the beauty of the tree. He brought the seeds back to Hawaii where he planted them at Kapulena. For the next 40 years, the trees were raised primarily as ornamental trees and not for their fruit. It wasn't until the 1950s and a lot of research hours later that were focused on cultivation did the nut reach commercial production.
Today most of Hawaii’s macadamia nuts come from the Big Island of Hawaii. The biggest commercial producer is Mauna Loa with the U.S. being the biggest consumers followed by Japan.
Photo credit: Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Associates
Macadamia White Chocolate Chip CookiesINGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz. white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts
DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugars in large bowl until blended and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.
I very nearly did my SHF post on White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, too. They are the one white chocolate thing I have always liked. Macadamia nuts are also heavenly, and I enjoyed reading the history of them on your post.
Posted by: Alice | October 01, 2004 at 04:46 PM
I'm not much of a cookie eater but these look absolutely delicious (with coffee or ice cream on the side). And Macadamias! Ahh! What about the Chocolate Covered Macadamias. Eek! I'f I did not know any better I would eat one of those Maun Loa jars all by myself. (Did you ever see the film It Could Happen To You? The first thing the protagonist does with her new lottery winnings was buy one of those Mauna Loa jars she could never afford before. Awww!
Posted by: Seattle Bon Vivant | October 02, 2004 at 09:23 AM
These cookies look marvelous! Thanks so much for the recipe -- and for joining in on the SHF festivities!
Posted by: Jennifer | October 02, 2004 at 01:14 PM
I was worried that everyeone would do these cookies! Thankfully that wasn't the case!
Posted by: Jeanne | October 04, 2004 at 03:41 PM
Oooooh! These are my husband's favourite cookies. I'll be making them for him as a surprise :)
Posted by: Angela | October 06, 2004 at 08:20 AM
I found this recipie on a google search. I never made this kind of cookie before, but it was requested by a friend for her birthday. I just did a trial run and they turned out great, actualy perfect! AND, they are pretty easy...thanks!
Posted by: Caitlin | April 12, 2005 at 06:41 PM
I found this recipie on a google search. I never made this kind of cookie before, but it was requested by a friend for her birthday. I just did a trial run and they turned out great, actualy perfect! AND, they are pretty easy...thanks!
Posted by: Caitlin | April 12, 2005 at 06:42 PM
i made these cookies for my school home EC assignment and thanks, i got a A+ the teacher loved them and thank you for the idea of having them with icecream or coffee,
thnx again.
Posted by: Cassie | April 26, 2005 at 11:18 PM
wow lovely
Posted by: bett macqui | August 20, 2007 at 01:41 AM