What is called a nut but is actually a seed? What takes 7 years to grow? What only grows in Hawaii but is originally from Australia?
What sold worldwide as a highly nutritious snack beginning in the 1950’s?
…Macadamia Nuts!
When you move its best to try to purge the kitchen of all of the food instead of trying to pack it all. Therefore when we were packing up our sold apartment in San Francisco, California to move to Austin, Texas and I found a bag of macadamia nuts, I had to figure out what to do with. Never throw anything in the waste, unless it is completely necessary and unusable.
After much thought, “I asked myself what pairs best with raw macadamia nuts,” and here is what happened in the kitchen.
Recipe:
Makes approximately 12
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to sprinkle a dash on each cluster before baking
1/8 cup coconut flakes
1/8 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 250 F.
Place nuts in a single layer on a shallow baking pan and roast in oven for 10 minutes. Remove nuts from oven to cool.
Increase oven temperature to 350F. Grease muffin tins or pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine salt, coconut, and sugar. Place aside.
Next, melt the chocolate. Place chocolate in a microwavable bowl and microwave 15 seconds at a time. Stirring each time, until just melted.
Add nuts and coconut mixture to the melted chocolate in a bowl you can reheat if the chocolate hardens between batches in the oven. Stir to combine. Using a spoon, scoop spoonfuls of the chocolate-nut mixture into the greased muffin tins or pan until they are approximately half full.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool and harden completely. Remove from pan and enjoy.
The chocolate will melt therefore keep in a cool place if serving at a party. Place any leftovers in a storage container in the refrigerator.
