These giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies fall somewhere between a pastry tart and a biscuit. They’re filled with luscious chocolate macadamia spread, although you could swap it for a spread of your choice. Ideal for picnics, lunch boxes, dessert and afternoon tea.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my answer to the Big Mac, a recipe for some dangerously moreish giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Strewth!
You know you’re onto a good thing when you open a jar, dip your spoon in and nearly swoon with delight when spoon meets tongue. The difficulty comes in stopping at just one spoonful. I’ve been working on a recipe using Macabella and I’ve been finding it difficult to restrain myself from trying just a little bit more. So what is Macabella? Read on.
What is Macabella?
All you Nuttella fans out there are just going to love this. Macabella is a unique and luscious chocolate spread from Australia. It’s made with buttery macadamia nuts and Belgian chocolate and comes in two varieties: Velvet and Crunchy. It recently won Australia’s 2016 Product of the Year in the Spreads category and I can see why.
The nuts make up nearly 20% of the mix, which is significantly higher than other similar spreads. The ingredients are also sustainably sourced, which always gets extra brownie points from me. But no worries fellow Brits! There’s no need to trek over to Australia, although that would be nice; it’s now available over here in the UK and is stocked by Sainsbury’s with an RRP of £3 a jar.
Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
These giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies fall somewhere between a tart and a biscuit. A layer of crumbly sweet pastry made with crunchy Macabella is filled with luscious velvet Macabella and then covered with another layer of pastry and topped with macadamia nuts.
The pastry is crumbly rather than crisp and isn’t too sweet, so there’s a nice contrast between it and the smooth sweet Macabella inside.
They make an excellent dessert served warm with a little crème fraîche. They’re also perfect served for afternoon tea. However, they work very nicely as a snack, although one is best shared in this instance.
Though I say it myself, my Big Mac knocks spots off the better known version. Try it and see if you agree.
Nut Butter Substitutes
If you can’t get hold of Macabella, try these giant filled cookies with a different type of chocolate nut spread instead. Nutella is an obvious candidate, but chocolate peanut butter works well too. In fact you could scratch the chocolate part and just use peanut butter.
The same goes for almond butter, cashew butter or even tahini. Check out what nut spreads are available or perhaps make your own. I have a recipe for raw chocolate cashew spread and one for roasted cashew chocolate spread. Take your pick.
And actually, if nuts aren’t your thing you can use plain chocolate spread. Or why not try something like biscoff spread? Now there’s an idea.
Other Tin and Thyme Chocolate Nut Butter Recipes You Might Like
- Caramelised banana, coconut, chocolate and peanut butter cake
- Chocolate peanut butter crispies
- Chocolate peanut butter cups
- Coffee brownies with almond nut butter
- Healthier brownies with cashew nut butter
- Peanut butter blondies
- Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making this type of biscuit?
I’d very much appreciate it if you could rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, please use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more cookie recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course. If you’d like even more nut butter ideas, do take a look at my Nut Butter Recipe board on Pinterest.
Choclette x
Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. PIN IT.
Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – The Recipe
Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 75 g spelt flour
- 75 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 40 g golden caster sugar I used golden caster vanilla sugar
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 60 g crunchy macabella (macadamia nut chocolate spread) or other nutty chocolate spread
- 1 large egg I used a duck egg
- 4 tbsp velvet macabella (macadama nut chocolate spread) or other nutty chocolate spread
- 1 tsp milk
- 25 g macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and cut in the butter. Rub between fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively pulse in a food processor.75 g spelt flour, 75 g plain flour (all purpose flour), ½ tsp baking powder, 40 g golden caster sugar, 40 g unsalted butter
- Mix in the crunchy macabella, first with a knife, then with your fingers. Or just add to the food processor and pulse a bit more.60 g crunchy macabella (macadamia nut chocolate spread)
- Break in the egg and stir with a flat bladed knife until everything forms into a ball. If the mixture is too dry add a tsp of water. Again, you can use a food processor for this.1 large egg
- Bring the pastry together with your hands, then cover and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour or so.
- Flour a board and roll the pastry out to about 6mm in thickness. Using the top of a 10cm tart tin, cut out 4 circles and put these aside.
- Cut 4 slightly larger circles to fit 4 tins, re-rolling as necessary.
- Line the tins with the large circles, pressing them well in.
- Spread 1 tbsp of velvet macabella over the base then top with the smaller pastry circles, pinching the edges to seal.4 tbsp velvet macabella (macadama nut chocolate spread)
- Brush with the milk, then gently press the macadamia nuts into the pastry, just enough so they won’t fall off.1 tsp milk, 25 g macadamia nuts
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 20 minutes or until golden.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
We Should Cocoa
These giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my contribution to this month’s We Should Cocoa.
Post commissioned by Buderim. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
Jenn says
Wow, SO GOOD WITH TEA!. Thanks for the recipe!
Choclette says
Yes, a cup of tea is just what’s needed to accompany these cookies.
Kleanthis @ Yumbles says
It’s been a while since I came across a desert recipe that I actually want to try out. These cookies look absolutely delicious. I intend to serve them with vanilla ice cream.
Choclette says
Glad you like them. Let me know how you get on if you do try them.
Lucy says
Well I have to say they look so much superior to the other kind of Big Mac! I haven’t had macadamia nuts for agrs and would love to try macabella so will be on the look out at Sainsbury’s next time I go.
Choclette says
Thank you Lucy. Be careful with that Macabella, once you buy a jar you may never look back 😉
Camilla Hawkins says
These cookies look glorious, love Macabella so know they will taste fabulous too:-)
Choclette says
Ah yes Macabella. I think I might have become just a little bit addicted 😉
Gingey Bites says
Cor blimey, they look like awesome cookies!!
Choclette says
Hehe! They’re probably more tarts or pies than cookies, but they’re a bit difficult to classify.
Alida @My Little Italian Kitchen says
This spread looks delicious, I have never seen it before. Your nut cookies look lovely Choclette. I want to start baking pastries and cookies more and Christmas is the perfect time to be creative. Have a nice week x
Choclette says
Thanks Alida, the spreads are scrumptious. Christmas is definitely the time to make the most of baking and cookies in particular. I need to figure out what I’m going to make this year.
Chris @thinlyspread says
Yet again wishing I loved closer to you – I could swallow one of these whole RIGHT NOW!
Choclette says
Hahaha, I’d like to see you try Chris. Hope all is well.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Mmm that filling is a fabulous idea! ALL the chocolate please! 😉
Choclette says
I’m with you on the chocolate, of course 🙂 But chocolate combined with macadamia nuts is just gorgeous.
nadia says
These cookies look AMAZING Choclette!! They would be so dangerous in front of me – I have a bit of a weakness when it comes to chocolate + hazelnut!! 😀
Choclette says
Thanks Nadia. You might find you have a weakness for chocolate and macadamia nuts too if you tried it 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh these look and sound epic, I’d defo have one (or two) of these over a regular Big Mac!
Angela x
Choclette says
Thanks Angela. They are delicious, but I defy you to manage more than one at a time 😉
Lucy Parissi says
Tart or biscuit I am all IN. They sound amazing. I have to try Macabella on the lookout for it!
Choclette says
Thanks Lucy. It’s very well worth trying. Sainsbury’s are now selling it, so temptation is easily given in to 🙂
Dom says
I love the way you describe that delight of taste.. these cookies really look superb and I love the toasted nuts on top!
Choclette says
Thanks Dom. This stuff should really come with a warning – once started, impossible to stop!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
They look fabulous with the king of nuts!
Choclette says
Thanks Angie. Macadamia’s really are delicious nuts. They’re not so easy to get hold of here.
Claire @foodiequine says
LOVE your take on a Big Mac and absolutely adore Macadamia nuts.
Choclette says
Thanks Claire. Macadamia nuts are gorgeous and strangely even more so when combined with chocolate I’ve found.
Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade says
These look scrumptious! I haven’t tried Macabella spread before, not sure if I’ve seen it anywhere but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for it!
Choclette says
Thanks Sylvia. It’s delicious stuff and is now being stocked in Sainsbury’s.
Henk says
Mmmmhh, very enticing stuff …. definitely worth a try !
Let’s see if I can find Macabelle over here.
Choclette says
It’s gorgeous Henk. If you can’t get any over there, I’m sure with all the toing and froing between England and Holland that some could find it’s way to you.
Suelle says
These look really good! Is the macadamia spread similar to Nutella in proportions of nuts, chocolate and sugar? If so, i can see a hazelnut version working well, with perhaps some chopped nuts added to the pastry.
Choclette says
Thanks Suelle. No the macabella has a much higher nut content and is superior in my opinion. However, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with nutella, the amount used isn’t a lot, so the effect would be minimal. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.