Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks

Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Yum!

These were a great improvement over the last cookies.  Yum!  I've eaten store-bought macadamia cookies, but I have never baked with white chocolate or macadamia nuts.  Surprising, I know, but true.  I found they were a little expensive!  Wow!  Luckily, the cookies proved to be worth it.

They mixed up really easy.  Pretty much like most cookies.  I have learned that cocoa requires more mixing time.  It usually looks really dry and then all of sudden it mixes into a fudge like dough.  I'm always tempted to add another egg and then I tell myself, "Just wait!".  The baking bar and nuts were easy to chop up (Cutco knives may have something to do with that) making these a breeze to make.

The reviews on this cookie were much better the previous ones (Coconut Macaroons).  Jenn said they were "Super delicious!".  Rod said, "Very tasty."  Andy and Callie them 1000 and 500 stars respectively.  I give them a 4 out 5.  Very good, but seem to be missing something to make them super spectacular.  Waiting on our outside unbiased reviewer to weigh in on this....Mary?

Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks


3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz white chocolate baking bar, into 1/2 inch chunks
1 (3.5 oz) jar macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy.  Add almond extract and egg; blend well.  Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; mix well.  Stir in white chocolate chunks and nuts.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

2. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool for one minutes; remove from cookie sheets.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

I was really excited to make these cookies!  They looked really easy AND I had bought them at the store and had really liked them.  Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed.  At least with this recipe.  Their texture was more like a bar than cookie (soft, squishy) and there was just plain too much coconut.  Maybe if I make them smaller it would help. Since the dough only makes 12 cookies, we didn't have a chance to test that theory out.

To their benefit, my husband, the coconut hater, tried one and said, "It's the best coconut cookie I've ever had." My daughter didn't like the almond extract in them.  Final say was that the recipe only made 12 cookies and they lasted quite a few days in this house.  They all got eaten, but barely.  I give them 2 out of 5.

Here's the recipe in case you do want to try them,

Coconut Macaroons

2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tblsp all-purpose flour
dash of salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 cups coconut

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour cookie sheet.  In medium bowl, beat egg whites until frothy.  Add sugar, flour, salt and almond extract; blend well.  Stir in coconut.  Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto greased and floured cookie sheet.

2. Bake at 325 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes or until set and light golden brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Chocolate Raisin Smile Cookies

First of all, I did not fall off the face of the earth.  I am still here and actually made a few cookies in my absence.  Did I say in the beginning that I didn't have anything to do?  I admit I was a little misleading with that comment.  Hopefully, you will forgive me for that.

Chocolate Raisin Smile Cookies?  Doesn't chocolate and raisins seem like a weird combination?  Well, I thought so, but since we are trying new things I made them as is.  We made the small and "giant" variations of this cookies.  The small ones were about the right amount for a nice snack, but they were more difficult to decorate with smiles and other expressions.  The Giant cookies spread out more and gave you, of course, more space to be creative.  See pictures below:

Decorations by Jenn

So many expressions!

Everyone loved these cookies.  Andy gave them a 1099 stars!  Callie just said they were "yummy".  I thought they were really good, especially since they had chocolate.  I have yet to find a cookie that is just "out of this world".  Thus, I'll give them a 4 out 5 in hopes of finding that one awesome cookie that I just can't live without.

Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Raisin Smile Cookies

Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cup raisins

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

1 drop red food coloring

2 drops yellow food coloring

2 to 4 tsp milk

1.Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and butter.  Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well.  Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; mix well.  Stir in raisins.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  For "Giant" cookies, use 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie and place about 3 inches apart.

2. Bake at 350 for 10 to 14 minutes or until set.  Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheets.

3. In medium bowl, combine all frosting ingredients, adding enough milk for the desired consistency.  Using a decorating bag, make faces on cookies.