This is my new favorite cookie recipe ~ Macadamia and Currant Cookies. I think of these cookies as Garden Tour Cookies. In Grand Rapids, Mich., for the GardenComm (Garden Communicators International) conference, a host family set out cookies for the tour attendees. Not only did we experience a beautiful and lovingly attended garden, but we got home-baked cookies, too! The homeowner baked these amazing cookies and graciously shared the recipe.
The combination of macadamias and currants seems to be inspired by a recipe from Northwest Wild Foods. The homeowner who shared the recipe made some tweaks, and I made a few, as well. I hope you try these cookies. They are delicious.
Macadamia and Currant Cookie Recipe
There’s a bit of prep before you get started mixing this recipe. Go ahead and melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes while you assemble the ingredients. Macadamia nuts are easy to chop with a knife. I used my handy-dandy food chopper from Pampered Chef. It makes a satisfying thunk-thunk-thunk sound when I hit the knob that crushes the nuts. Take your therapy where you find it, friends.
Yield: 3 dozen 2-inch cookies
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
2 ounces cream cheese (I used low-fat Neufchatel)
1 1/2 cups sugar (+ more for rolling out the cookies)
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons half-n-half or cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
4 ounces dried black currants
Instructions
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk together.
3. In a mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and vanilla and mix with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer until creamy.
4. Mix in egg and half-n-half (or cream).
5. Gradually stir in flour mixture and incorporate into the mix.
6. Stir in chopped macadamia nuts and currants.
7. Pour a small amount of granulated sugar into a bowl. One-quarter cup is usually enough to coat the cookies.
8. Use a spoon or cookie scoop (Mine yields tablespoon-sized scoops) to scoop up the dough and place, three at a time, in the bowl of sugar. Coat the balls in sugar, place on baking sheet and press each down to form a circle.
9. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies are done when they’re lightly golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks. Cookies are delicious slightly cooled from the oven. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
More A Cook and Her Books Recipes
There’s no shortage of sweets on my blog. Give my Fig Skillet Cake a try when you have fresh figs on hand. My Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust is a winner of a recipe, too.
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