Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
Buttery and delicious, Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies have that rich shortbread cookie with the hint of nuttiness to them. They’re easy to make, and are top on my list of favorite cookies!
This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is sponsored by Millican Pecan and Adams Extracts for #ChristmasCookie Week. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.
My mother lives in Maui. I know I’ve talked about this before. The standard response is, “How many times have been to visit?” Once. Yeah, I get that response, too. From my mother even! I’ve been once. Remember, I live on the East Coast.
No, it’s not impossible to get there, but it’s at the very least 10 days and if you can 2 weeks to spend there. And, well, I don’t have that kind of leave to use right now. And the hubs surely doesn’t have that kind of leave right now either. He has more than me, I’m sure, but as much as I’d like to go more often than I have, it’s just not as simple as hopping on a plane.
It’s really not! I mean you could but then you’d probably lose 2 days at least to the jet lag. It’s a decent time difference between our two locations. The best way is to stop overnight on the west coast, then head to the islands later in the evening which makes for a late arrival, but by then it’s late and you’re tired. So, it’s logical to sleep.
Of course, the next day I was up earlier than everyone. For at least 2 hours, but that’s just me. I’m always early to get out of bed. My brain just wakes up and starts thinking of things I could do, sharing I need to finish, posts to write, etc etc.
So, that’s at least 2 days. Then there’s the return trip where you pretty much do the same thing. That’s another 2 days. If you take a week off? You have 3 days in Maui. That’s not enough. You need at least a week. And we didn’t even get to all the things she wanted us to see! We had the cliff notes version hitting the main highlights.
There’s tons more she wants to show us when we’re there. And tons more whale watching and snorkeling to do! She volunteers for Pacific Whale Foundation and what I’ve learned through her makes whales even more amazing. And even more fun to see during their mating season. But that’s a whole other post. Maybe I’ll share some pics from my trip and talk about it. We’ll see.
Thankfully, they plan many trips to the mainland, as they call it, to visit family and friends. And, every time they come, they bring macadamia nuts. There’s the connection between this story and these cookies. And she doesn’t just bring the plain kind.
She brings flavors!
Like the kona glazed ones, which are my favorite. Then there’s the Maui onions ones that are oh so delicious. The Spam flavored ones were hilarious and did taste like Spam!
They’re sort of inspired by the macadamia nut butter crisps I made one year. Mom brought these cookies on one of her trips so I could taste them. I don’t think they were Honolulu Cookie Company, but they could have been. Actually, I’m pretty sure they weren’t because they weren’t a shortbread style cookie.
Anyway, since those cookies were such a hit, I thought I would try my hand at macadamia nut short bread cookies. And I was right! Because I can’t get enough of these cookies. The buttery shortbread, the nutty flavor, and their texture are just too hard to resist.
The bell cookie cutter is from Nana. It’s old and needs to be re-soldered, but I made it work. I try to make something with those cookies cutters every year in remembrance of her. I know the hubs thinks I’m insane to keep all those cookie cutters, but I’m not giving them up! Or giving them away except to nieces and nephews. They were the only thing I asked for when she passed away.
It adds a fondness for these cookies which makes me truly enjoy them even more. As if that was even possible. Just look at that color! I didn’t want to decorate them. You can, but I didn’t. The sweet and butter flavor of these cookies is perfect without adding nonperils or sanding sugars. I did say I’m not a huge candy fan, remember? In the easy peanut butter fudge post. But you’re going to see another candy recipe or two pop up for another event in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
Make sure to enter the giveaway! Millican Pecan and Adams Extract have prize packages you can will. Those pecans! AWESOME! And Adams has great flavor in their extracts and spices. You don’t want to miss out!
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
Buttery and delicious, Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies have that rich shortbread cookie with the hint of nuttiness to them. They’re easy to make, and are top on my list of favorite cookies!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chilled butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoons vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the macadamia nuts and pulse a few more times to stir them in.
- With the processor running, add the diced butter until a coarse meal forms.
- Add the egg until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a flour working surface and knead lightly until the dough forms a ball and not crumbly bits remain.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Cut the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
- You can either cut the dough into squares or use some of your Nana’s cookie cutters to cut festive shapes.
- Place the cookies in a baking sheet lined with a silpat. Bake at 325 for 12 to 15 minutes or until barely browned around the edges or until they’re firm to the touch.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information
Yield
54Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 88Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 12mgSodium 48mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 1g
Thank you to Ellen of Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting #ChristmasCookies Week! And a huge thank you to our sponsors Adams Extract and Millican Pecan Company for supporting the bloggers and events like Christmas Cookies Week.
Check out today’s cookie recipes:
Christmas Funfetti Pecan Shortbread Bites by Family Around the Table
Grinch Shortbread Cookies by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Melody Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Pecan Whiskey Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Soft Cinnamon Apple Pecan Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Hawaii is a hike! That trip wreaked havoc on my time clock! Loved every moment we were there though! And these cookies…YUM!!!
Right? For us East Coasters it’s like 2 days. But you’re right. It’s worth every minute spent getting there and back.