White chocolate and macadamia cookies

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This is one of my favorite combinations if not my favorite. White chocolate and macadamia nuts. They should marry really, that's how good they go together.

If only macadamia weren't so expensive, the price is crazy! But worth it once in a while so better make something good of them! I think they have the highest fat content among the nuts, about 70%, that's probably why they are so good.

I went crazy for white chocolate and macadamia cookies when I tried one, big, soft, sweet and delicious one in Dubai last year. We were walking around in their biggest shopping center and I was already stuffed but when I saw this cookie stall I had to stop and get one. There were many different flavors and they all looked delicious but the one that caught my eye the most was, well you already know which one. It was really big, like 3 cookies in 1 and it was a little under-baked (on purpose of course) so it was very soft, ah, it was perfect, except maybe I would like at least the edges to be a little more crisp.

Here is the picture of the cookie stall.

So I tried to come as close as possible to that cookie. And I am very pleased with this recipe, makes delicious, soft cookies with a crunch. Quick and easy to make.

Ingredients
(makes about 25 cookies)

230 g room temperature butter
100 g sugar
200 g brown sugar
1 egg1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
350 g flour
1 1/4 baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
150 g macadamia nuts
200 g chopped white chocolate/choc chips

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 190°C. In a bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. In another bowl mix together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat for 1 min. With the mixer on slow speed start adding flour and  mix just until it is incorporated and you can't see any dry bits. Now add in macadamia nuts and white chocolate and blitz the mixer for 3 seconds so the pieces are evenly distributed. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a tablespoon o the dough and form balls with it and place them on a baking sheet about 3 cm apart. Bake for about 12 min and transfer them to a cooling rack. If you want really soft cookies bake them for 10-11 min (they will hardly have any color on them, and will seem too soft but when they cool down they will be just right). Baking time also depends on how big you make your cookies but basically they are baked when they develop a slightly golden color on them.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate and walnut cookies

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You could really use any kind of nuts here and you would still get delicious cookies but I had walnuts at home so I used them. The same goes for chocolate. Do you prefer milk chocolate ? White chocolate ?  Go ahead and use your favorite !
These cookies are soft, have a great crunch from roughly chopped nuts, a hint of cinnamon flavor in the background and well, chocolate.
Easy and quick to make. And so good!

Ingredients
(makes 25 cookies)

150 g room temperature butter

100 g sugar

175 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

150 g toasted and roughly chopped walnuts

100 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

For topping 

+ 50 g milk chocolate

   50 g dark chocolate 

Instructions

First toast and chop walnuts if your don't know how, I describe it in my previous walnut and chocolate cookie post. Then roughly chop 100 g of chocolate. 

In a bowl mix together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. In another bowl mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 min. Add the egg and vanilla, mix for 1 min. With a mixer on low speed start adding your dry ingredients from the first bowl and mix just until they are incorporated. Don't over-mix. Now add the chopped chocolate and walnuts (leave some walnuts for the decoration at the end) and mix for 2-3 second so they distribute evenly. Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (as I am making these cookies in the winter I just place the covered dough outside on the balcony). 

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take some dough with a spoon and make balls as big as a walnut. Place them on a baking sheet about 3 cm apart so they don't touch when they spread in the oven. Bake for 10 min, take them out of the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Before baking another batch wait for the baking sheet to cool down (doesn't take long).

For the topping chop both of the chocolates and melt them over a double boiler. Put a teaspoon of melted chocolate on a cookie and sprinkle over some chopped walnuts. And you are done! Okay maybe you should wait for the chocolate to harden and then eat them (if you can wait any longer)!

Enjoy ! ^^

Flourless and fudgy chocolate walnut cookies

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These cookies have a really chewy and fudgy texture so if you like that kind these are perfect for you. Flavor is really chocolaty with a hint of walnuts which also give them the bite and crunch. This recipe only makes about 10 big cookies because I got walnuts from home and I don't want to use them all for just one recipe. And walnuts can be pretty expensive. So if you have an abundance of walnuts go ahead and double this recipe, you won't be sorry.

Ingredients 
(makes 10 big cookies)

130 g toasted and roughly chopped walnuts 
180 g powdered sugar
50 g cocoa powder
2 egg whites
tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt


Instructions

Toasting nuts
If you are confused on how to make toasted walnuts just preheat the oven to 180°C. Place walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them for about 5-10 min until they are golden brown, they will also smell different but be careful not to burn them. Stir or shake the pan during toasting so the browning is even. 
You can also do this on a stove top. In a hot pan, toast walnuts for 1-2 min or until they are golden brown.
After you toasted the nuts you can chop them.

Making cookies
Preheat oven to 180°C. Put toasted, roughly chopped walnuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Give them a little whisk so all the ingredients are combined and then start adding the egg whites and vanilla. Mix all the ingredients with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture starts to get thicker, about 3 minutes. Don't over-mix it or the egg whites will thicken too much.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop about 10 cookies that are 8 cm in diameter, at least 3 cm apart so that they don't stick together when they spread. Don't worry if they look very flat, they will puff up. When you put them in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 160°C. Bake them for about 15 min or until small, thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. I know I say this every time but it is so important not to over-bake or your cookies will be unpleasantly chewy.  When they are baked pull the parchment paper off the baking sheet and let them cool.

Enjoy ^^

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Recipe adapted from: François Payard

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES

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It's one of my favorite months of the year and I think you can understand why without me explaining. Something happens when December comes because I am not particularly fond of cookies. They are usually easy to make, with a non-complex flavor. Not interesting enough for me to make them except in December when almost all I bake are cookies. Just happens. And since nobody complains when they receive a cookie or two, it's all good. Let's make the most of it!

I am starting this happy month with a batch of soft, white chocolate and cranberry cookies. 

These cookies have a soft and fudgy texture with white chocolate that gives them the perfect sweetness while the dried cranberries give you tartness so you don't taste only sugar. If you are wondering why there is pudding mix in cookies it is because it gives them the softness that we are looking for.

Easy and quick to make. 

One more thing. The absence of me writing recipes here is just the lull before the storm.

And maybe because it becomes dark after 4 pm so there is only little time for me to take pictures of the things I bake. No, I can't wake up early. And yes, I could bake in the evening and then take pictures right after I wake up but... Do you really think a baked good in my house will last untouched all night?

Here is the recipe :)

Ingredients 

170 g room temperature butter

150 g brown sugar

30 g sugar 

1 egg

250 g flour

2 tsp vanilla pudding mix/powder

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

140 g white chocolate chips / chopped white chocolate

100 g dried cranberries

Instructions 

In a bowl whisk together flour, pudding mix, soda and salt. In another bowl beat together butter and both of the sugars with a mixer - until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend them in. When everything is nicely incorporated start slowly adding the mixture from the first bowl (with the mixer on a low speed) and mix just until both wet and dry ingredients are combined. Don't over-mix! Then add your white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and quickly blend them in so they are evenly distributed.

Cover dough in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 180°C, take your cookie dough out of the fridge, scoop some dough (about 1 tbsp) and roll it into balls. If the dough is too hard let it sit on room temperature for 10 min. Place cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them for 8-10 min. They will look very soft when you take them out but they will harden when they cool down so it's important to not over-bake them. Let them cool on a baking sheet for 5 min and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely. Before baking another batch let the baking sheet cool.

Keep baked cookies in an airtight container. 

Yum!

Recipe adapted from: Anna Olson