Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with a Luscious Filling

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.
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.
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. They would make an excellent dessert served warm with a little crème fraîche. 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.

These giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies fall somewhere between a tart and a biscuit. They're filled with luscious chocolate macadamia spread.
- 75 g spelt flour
- 75 g plain 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
- 1 large egg I used a duck egg
- 4 tbsp velvet macabella macadama nut chocolate spread
- 1 tsp milk
- 25 g macadamia nuts
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Brush with the milk, then gently press the macadamia nuts into the pastry, just enough so they won't fall off.
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 180℃ for 20 minutes or until golden.
The quantities can easily be doubled to feed more people.
Other Tin and Thyme Chocolate Nut Butter Recipes You Might Like
- Banana, chocolate and peanut butter cake
- 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
We Should Cocoa
These giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my contribution to this month’s We Should Cocoa. You have until the 28th of the month if you’d like to join in.
Keep in Touch
If you make these giant chocolate macadamia nut cookies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. A photo is always good too. If you’d like even more nut butter ideas, do take a look at my Nut Butter Recipe board on Pinterest. For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.
Giant Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. PIN IT.
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 blythe and blogging.
Suelle
20th November 2016 at 10:18 amThese 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
20th November 2016 at 7:22 pmThanks 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.
Henk
20th November 2016 at 12:10 pmMmmmhh, very enticing stuff …. definitely worth a try !
Let’s see if I can find Macabelle over here.
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 12:02 pmIt’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.
Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade
20th November 2016 at 12:25 pmThese 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
21st November 2016 at 12:00 pmThanks Sylvia. It’s delicious stuff and is now being stocked in Sainsbury’s.
Claire @foodiequine
20th November 2016 at 12:26 pmLOVE your take on a Big Mac and absolutely adore Macadamia nuts.
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:59 amThanks Claire. Macadamia nuts are gorgeous and strangely even more so when combined with chocolate I’ve found.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
20th November 2016 at 12:59 pmThey look fabulous with the king of nuts!
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:58 amThanks Angie. Macadamia’s really are delicious nuts. They’re not so easy to get hold of here.
Dom
20th November 2016 at 1:11 pmI love the way you describe that delight of taste.. these cookies really look superb and I love the toasted nuts on top!
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:56 amThanks Dom. This stuff should really come with a warning – once started, impossible to stop!
Lucy Parissi
20th November 2016 at 1:13 pmTart or biscuit I am all IN. They sound amazing. I have to try Macabella on the lookout for it!
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:54 amThanks Lucy. It’s very well worth trying. Sainsbury’s are now selling it, so temptation is easily given in to 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
20th November 2016 at 2:24 pmOoh these look and sound epic, I’d defo have one (or two) of these over a regular Big Mac!
Angela x
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:53 amThanks Angela. They are delicious, but I defy you to manage more than one at a time 😉
nadia
20th November 2016 at 4:45 pmThese 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
21st November 2016 at 11:52 amThanks Nadia. You might find you have a weakness for chocolate and macadamia nuts too if you tried it 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
21st November 2016 at 11:42 amMmm that filling is a fabulous idea! ALL the chocolate please! 😉
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 11:51 amI’m with you on the chocolate, of course 🙂 But chocolate combined with macadamia nuts is just gorgeous.
Chris @thinlyspread
21st November 2016 at 12:14 pmYet again wishing I loved closer to you – I could swallow one of these whole RIGHT NOW!
Choclette
21st November 2016 at 2:27 pmHahaha, I’d like to see you try Chris. Hope all is well.
Alida @My Little Italian Kitchen
21st November 2016 at 3:04 pmThis 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
21st November 2016 at 4:52 pmThanks 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.
Gingey Bites
22nd November 2016 at 10:23 amCor blimey, they look like awesome cookies!!
Choclette
22nd November 2016 at 1:20 pmHehe! They’re probably more tarts or pies than cookies, but they’re a bit difficult to classify.
Camilla Hawkins
23rd November 2016 at 11:19 pmThese cookies look glorious, love Macabella so know they will taste fabulous too:-)
Choclette
25th November 2016 at 8:40 pmAh yes Macabella. I think I might have become just a little bit addicted 😉
Lucy
26th November 2016 at 8:10 amWell 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
26th November 2016 at 8:06 pmThank you Lucy. Be careful with that Macabella, once you buy a jar you may never look back 😉
Kleanthis @ Yumbles
24th July 2018 at 2:55 pmIt’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
25th July 2018 at 5:54 pmGlad you like them. Let me know how you get on if you do try them.