Best Macadamia Almond Delights Recipes

MACADAMIA-ALMOND CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Put the macadamia nuts in a food processor and process until smooth and buttery (this should measure about 1 cup). Add the sugar, butter and shortening and pulse until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and pulse until blended. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and pulse until just incorporated. Transfer the cookie dough to a medium bowl and fold in the white chocolate chips, pistachios and cranberries. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
• Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough, roll into balls and space about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (You will need to bake the cookies in batches; be sure to allow the baking sheets to cool in between batches.)
• Bake until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are golden brown but the middles are still soft, about 10 minutes. (The cookies will bake a bit after they come out of the oven) Press a chocolate candy kiss into each warm cookie. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

MACADAMIA LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix flour, confectioners' sugar and melted butter until crumbly; stir in nuts. Press onto bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until light brown., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat in eggs, lemon juice and zest until blended., Pour over hot crust. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

CHERRY ALMOND DELIGHTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in egg. Add cookie mix; mix well (dough will be sticky). Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle., Place almonds and sugar in a food processor; pulse until almonds are finely chopped. Add eggs; process until mixture forms a paste. Add butter and vanilla; process until blended., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape dough into 1-1/4-in. balls; press onto bottom and up the sides of greased mini muffin cups., Place 1 Tbsp. filling in each cup. Top each with a cherry. Bake 16-18 minutes or until edges are golden and filling is set. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Dust tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

ALMOND AND MACADAMIA NUT MILK

Steps:

• Combine almonds, macadamia nuts and dates in a large lidded plastic container. Add filtered water, cover, and let soak overnight at room temperature, at least 12 hours.
• Using a blender set to the highest speed, process mixture for 3 to 4 minutes or until finely puréed. Strain the mixture through a nut bag or jelly bag into a bowl, squeezing hard until only solids remain. (Or set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and line with two layers of cheesecloth. Use a spatula to force the mixture through the lined sieve, then repeat the process using fresh cheesecloth.) The nut milk should be silky and creamy, not gritty. Milk will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Shake before using.