Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
A Simple Valentine’s Day Treat for Your Love
Nancy Jiang
Ingredients:
60g room temperature butter
90g granulated sugar
30g brown sugar
1 large egg
80g all-purpose flour
25g cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
60g ground pecans (or other nuts)
120g dark chocolate chips
60g macadamia nuts, chopped
Directions:
- Cream the butter and sugars.
- Add the egg and mix well. (For this recipe, I mixed all by hand to avoid overmixing.)
- Microwave chocolate chips for 35-45 seconds.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, ground pecans, and chocolate together.
- Add the chopped macadamia nuts.
- Use parchment-lined baking sheets. Divide the dough into 12 balls if you are making regular-shaped cookies. For a heat-shaped Valentine’s Day treat, use heart-shaped cookie cutters.
- Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F for 13-15 minutes.
Last fall I visited Italy and Guatemala. I brought back organic Guatemalan macadamia nuts and Italian dark chocolate from Turin, and was inspired to infuse their essence into something for a post-Thanksgiving gathering with my friend Tracy. Surprisingly, I came up with chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Despite their imperfect shapes, the cookies were a hit and won everyone over.
There's something special about knowing where the nuts come from — it makes the cookies taste even better. When visiting the Guatemalan macadamia nut farm, the stories of the people and the love they put into the macadamia trees truly touched us. Each bite of cookie carried the warmth of those memories. It's not just about the nuts; it's also about the captivating tales that linger in our hearts.
Even if you don’t have nuts you carried back from a trip, these homemade cookies are the perfect idea for a Valentine’s Day treat. It took a while to get the recipe right. After eight attempts and one final confirmation, I believe I've achieved the perfect texture and shape. The framed, heart-shaped cookies are chewier than those formed into balls and then baked. I hope you enjoy making and indulging in these cookies as much as I have. If you try the recipe, share a photo of your creations with me on Instagram: Manchurianjin