December 4, 2024

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

Posted by HI Cookery under 12 December | Tags: , , , , |
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Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

December 4: National Cookie Day

Before our sudden move back to Hawaii, we had to get rid of a lot of ingredients in our pantry (we donated them all to Islander’s culinary club friends). Like a good island girl, she already had the tropical staples she needed to bake her last cookie in our mainland kitchen. She packaged the chewy coconut macadamia nut cookies and gave the treats away and said a sad aloha to her friends. These cookies are chewy and sweet; her farewells were bittersweet. But like the lyrics in the song “Aloha ‘Oe’,” composed by the deposed Queen Lili’uokalani in 1878, they end on a positive note:

Aloha ‘oe, aloha ‘oe…
One fond embrace…
Until we meet again.

We have slowly settled down in our new and much smaller kitchen in Hawaii. But mainland and international friends already want to meet again and visit, reunite and cook together like we used to do in each other’s kitchens. Perhaps they can bake this recipe and take some as snacks on the long flight back to the mainland or home countries. Make memories with alohaand lovingly bake up some coconut macadamia nut cookies together, especially on National Cookie Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
  • ½ cup butter, unsalted and softened
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ¼ cup flour, all purpose
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt]
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts, roasted and chopped

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with brown sugar. Beat in the egg. Add the coconut and vanilla extracts. 

In a small pan, toast the coconut flakes over medium low heat until slightly brown. Remove from heat and cool. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut and macadamia nuts (by hand). Mix well until a dough comes together. 

Scoop 1-inch balls and roll into rounds. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are browned. Remove from the oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Mahalo (thank you) to the B. ‘Ohana in Hawaii for sharing a version of this cookie recipe which we tweaked to make use of the last pantry items in our mainland home.
  • We moved back to Oahu to be closer to Islander’s elderly parents. It is important to take care of kūpuna.
  • Search our blog for other cookie recipes.
 

May 31, 2012

Coconut Macaroons

Posted by HI Cookery under 05 May | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

May 31: National Macaroon Day

Islander is nuts about coconuts! After all, she grew up on an island surrounded by coconut trees. To feed the family with the fruit, her Daddy would use a long pole with a knife attached to the end of it and extract the young coconuts from the tree. He would chop off the top of a coconut, stick a straw in it or pour the liquid in a glass and the family would drink fresh coconut water. After that, he would crack the coconut open and we would spoon out the flesh to eat the soft meat. Daddy would also grate the older and firmer coconut meat so Mommy could transform them into a variety of tropical treats.

Coconut Macaroons

Islander misses coconuts from Hawaii and must make do on the mainland when she finds coconut products at the grocery store. Sometimes, she makes coconut macaroons because these chewy cookies remind her of a similar dessert her Mommy used to make back home. Try these tropical treats when craving coconut flavors, especially on National Macaroon Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups finely shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • ¾ cup sugar (we used C&H brand, granulated white)
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt (we used Hawaiian sea salt)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the coconut, sugar, egg whites, salt and coconut extract. Blend well until all the ingredients stick together.

Coconut Macaroons

Cover the bowl and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a small scoop to drop the coconut cookie dough about an inch apart from each other. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 10-12 minutes or until they begin to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the parchment paper. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Serve in mini-muffin/cupcake papers (optional).

 Coconut Macaroons

Notes

  • Macarons and macaroons? We have made both before for our blog. Although they are both cookies, macarons most often are referred to the Parisian-style almond meringue treats (see our Mac Attack page) while macaroons are known as the coconut cookies. Read about the different spelling and more about “macarons vs. macaroons” at The Kitchn site.
  • Coconut water and coconut juice? Unlike macarons and macaroons, coconut water and juice are one and the same. However, some companies that are selling them tend to add some unnatural preservatives in the drink. Learn more at the same Kitchn site.
  • Search our blog for more recipes containing coconuts.