Happy Tuesday! It’s nice to be back in the kitchen after taking a couple weeks off to travel! I loved having the chance to visit Hawaii and spend some time at Aulani and aboard the Disney Wonder. In addition to seeing beautiful landscapes and experiencing the rich Hawaiian culture, I ate a lot of delicious food! I’m so excited to recreate some of my favorites, starting with these Aloha Macadamia Nut Shortbread. Inspired by the amazing cookies from Honolulu Cookie Company, these chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies are rich and buttery.
The cookies from Honolulu Cookie Company are pineapple shaped, but for my cookies, I added a little twist. Since we’re approaching Easter, I made some white chocolate dipped Easter Bunnies and some dark chocolate dipped chocolate chip Mickeys! Both are delicious and pair perfectly with the macadamia shortbread base.
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To make these cookies, start by whisking together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Then, pulse the macadamia nuts in a food processor until they are in small pieces and have the texture of coarse sand. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat the mixture until combined. Finally, add the flour mixture and the macadamia nuts. Mix until incorporated.
If you only want to make plain macadamia nut shortbread, stop here and transfer the dough to piece of plastic wrap. If you want to make chocolate chip shortbread (or half and half), then either divide the dough (for half plain and half chocolate chip) and stir in the mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to one half (or the entire dough if you want to make all chocolate chip).
The dough will be crumbly, but transfer each dough half to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape them into rectangles and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
To shape the cookies, place one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to shape the cookies into desired shapes. I used a small Mickey Mouse cookie cutter and a medium size bunny cookie cutter. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350 F for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable shortening. This helps the chocolate stay shiny and smooth. I used 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips as I wanted the plain macadamia nut cookies to have a white chocolate dip and the chocolate chip cookies to have a dark chocolate dip. If you’re making just one kind, you can adjust the amount of chocolate you use.
Once dipped, let the chocolate set completely before serving. Enjoy these Aloha Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies!
Aloha Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup macadamia nuts
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
Chocolate Coating
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 4 teaspoons vegetable shortening
Equipment
- Mickey Mouse cookie cutter
- Bunny cookie cutter
Instructions
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
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Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor. Pulse them until they are in small pieces with the texture of coarse sand.
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In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
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Add the egg yolks and beat the mixture until combined.
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Add the flour mixture and the macadamia nuts. Mix until incorporated.
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Divide the dough in half.
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Stir the mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into one half of the dough.
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Transfer each dough half to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into a rectangle and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Place one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
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Use the cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on the prepared baking sheets.
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Repeat with the second half of the dough.
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Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
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Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Coating
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Place the semisweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening in a small, shallow bowl. Heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
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Dip the chocolate chip cookies into the melted chocolate, scraping off any excess.
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Repeat with the white chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening.
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Dip the plain shortbread into the white chocolate, scraping off any excess.
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Place the dipped cookies on a parchment or wax paper lined surface. Let the chocolate set completely before serving.