Discovering Macadamia Butter Has Its Benefits

I eyed this recipe at the end of Cooking Light's December 2009 issue, but between finals, massive papers, work, and cooking for the holidays, I never got a chance to make them. But I finally got to make them tonight and OMG are they delicious!

The recipe says to make your own macadamia butter by grinding macadamia nuts in a food processor until smooth, but I bought a small jar of MaraNatha Macadamia Butter (it's gluten and dairy free) at Whole Foods. To make the recipe, I also used the Whole Foods brand of Gluten Free Baking Mix, which is a handy substitute to have on hand when you're making a recipe gluten free. I also added more nutmeg, but the taste is not too noticeable. They have a very buttery flavor, but I am a butter (now Earth Balance) addict and love them.


Macadamia Butter Cookies
2/3 cup Macadamia Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar (not packed)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
1 1/4 cups Gluten Free Baking Mix
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1 tbsp. Sugar

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine macadamia butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a mixer at medium speed, then add egg and vanilla; beat well.

In a small bowl, combine gluten free baking mix, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, stirring with a whisk. Add to the sugar mixture, beating at low speed until it is just combined. Stir in cranberries. Chill in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

Roll dough into small balls (as equally sized as you can make them). Place 1 tbsp. sugar in small bowl. Lightly press each ball into the sugar, and then place each ball sugar side up on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Then press the top of each cookie gently with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Place cookies about two inches apart on the baking sheets; they spread out during baking.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time for nine minutes or until golden. Cool cookies on wire racks. Enjoy.