Merry Christmas!

I mentioned in a previous post about how great chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies are. My dad loves them (we gave him a box last year for Christmas). There are several companies that make them, but the best are from Big Island Candies. Unfortunately, shipping them from Hawaii to the mainland can cost you a pretty penny so this year I decided I would try to replicate these cookies for my dad. They didn't turn out exactly the same, but I actually think they taste better :)

When I made these almond crescent cookies recently, I thought to myself that it would be great to experiment with the recipe and substitute different types of nuts. When I saw that the ones from Big Island Candies were actually macadamia nut shortbread and not just regular shortbread, I knew I could probably get pretty close to copying the cookie by using macadamia nuts instead of almonds in that recipe. Next time, I may try making a true shortbread cookie, which is one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. For now, though, I am content to munch on these!


I'm sure that at this point, everyone has stuffed themselves full of prime rib, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and all sorts of holiday goodies. However, my Christmas gift to all of my blog readers are these delectable chocolate dipped cookies. So here's to wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Hope that everyone has a great time with family and friends!

Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Nut Shortbread
adapted from Simply Recipes



1 cup of butter, room temperature
2/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of ground macadamia nuts (I got about 1-1/4 cup from 6 oz of whole nuts)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening (i.e. Crisco)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor, pulse the macadamia nuts until they are finely ground. Be careful not to over grind them. Set aside.

Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Add the flour and ground macadamia nuts. Mix thoroughly.

Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4" thickness. Using a dull instrument like a butter knife, make horizontal and vertical cuts into the dough, creating rectangles that are approximately 1/2" wide by 2" tall. Carefully transfer onto parchment paper and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Freeze the cookies for approximately 1 hour (or longer) to prepare them for dipping. This will prevent them from crumbling/breaking during the dipping process.

After the cookies have been frozen, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. If you do not have one, melt them in your microwave on high heat for 1 minute, at 30 seconds intervals, stirring well between each interval. If the chocolate is not completely melted, continue heating it in your microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, and being careful not to burn the chocolate. Hold the cookies at one corner and dip them into the melted chocolate at a diagonal, then let the chocolate harden.