Macadamia Nut Blondies

 
Hawaii is my favourite place in the world. As soon as I landed there it was love at first sight and I’m certain I left my heart there. Hawaii has such a natural beauty with breath-taking scenery and the perfect warm climate. There I found adventure, hiking trails, waterfalls, volcanoes, beautiful golden beaches, sunsets, surfing, luaus, history, great food and friendly people. It’s also where I fell in love with macadamia nuts.

While in Hawaii my husband and I ate a lot of macadamia nuts which are grown there. I came home armed with bags of them (including some chocolate covered ones). How could I resist? Macadamia nuts are delicious with a nice crunch, rich creamy buttery texture, and natural subtle sweetness. They make a perfect healthy snack.
 

 
I was surprised to see how macadamia nuts were used in so many ways Hawaii. We enjoyed macadamia nuts every day in drinks, snacks, desserts and savoury meals. I have to confess, my ultimate FAVOURITE food made with macadamia nuts was the traditional “Hula Pie” dessert at Dukes Beach House Restaurant. Hula pie is mounded with macadamia nut ice cream over a chocolate cookie crust, topped with chocolate fudge, crushed macadamias, and whipped cream. I haven’t stopped dreaming of this pie since I left Hawaii! 

In Hawaii, we enjoyed these foods with macadamia nuts:

• Crusted fish
• Chicken & Pineapple Stir-Fry
• Salad Topping
• Pancakes & Waffles
• Cookies, pies, cakes, muffins, ice cream
• Granola
• Nut butter
• Coffee
• Mai Tai drinks

The macadamia nuts I brought home from Hawaii inspired me to bake. Since they are commonly combined with white chocolate in the form of a cookie, I thought I would take these flavours and turn them into blondies. Blondies are a delightfully sweet dessert bar that so many people love. With this in mind, I made a sweet vanilla batter, added macadamia nuts, white chocolate, and shredded coconut and spread the batter in a bar pan. The result was an undeniably chewy, seriously sweet and decadently rich treat! Macadamia Nut Blondies were born!
 

I only had to take one bite of these Blondies and Aloha! I knew I had a winner. Don’t just believe me – go ahead and make a batch and find out for yourself!  You’ll be pleased to see how simple and easy they are to make.
 

 

 
Use either melted butter or melted coconut oil for this recipe. I prefer coconut oil as you get a lot more coconut-y goodness in the bars. As for the white chocolate in the recipe, I like to use a white chocolate bar that I chop up myself, but white chocolate chips work great too!

An added bonus these bars freeze well! Store the squares in an air-tight container and thaw at room temperature when needed.

I hope to go back to Hawaii soon and pick up my heart where I left it.

Recipe

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Macadamia Nut Blondies

Rich and decadent Macadamia Nut Blondies made with a sweet vanilla batter, macadamia nuts, white chocolate and shredded coconut.

Servings 24 squares

Ingredients

• ¾ cup cup butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 ½ cups lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided ¾ cup and ¼ cup
• 1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate (from a 100g white chocolate bar)
• 1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13” baking pan by greasing the bottom and sides and lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper which extends over two sides of the pan to create handles.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter (or coconut oil) and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

3. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ¾ cup of the coconut, reserving the remaining ¼ cup for the topping.

4. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and with a spatula, mix until combined. Fold in white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

5. Gently spread mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan. The mixture will be shallow. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup coconut evenly over the top. 

6. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours or longer before removing the bars. Remove from pan by lifting the parchment paper handles and place on a cutting board. Use a large chef’s knife and cut into 24 squares.