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My Johnny who is 4, loves to help. Unlike his big brother Thomas who is 7, he doesn't need any motivation. He loves to work, never gives up, and works until a job is complete. He often does this with his father in the workshop or with me in the kitchen. Johnny is a workaholic and being of use is his thing. No need to entice him to do something because he is always ready to accept a task.
Every Tuesday and Thursday he is off from school. We do many things together, but mainly he helps me in the kitchen and plays with baby Matrona. She loves him a lot.
Being in the kitchen is always fun, especially when we are doing some kind of project. I'm a strong believer that kids should acquire cooking skills, and these are possibly the most important skills that you can teach them.
Last week we made COOKIES!
These are the cookies often made prior to having children. I believe they are my chocoholic husband's second favorite cookies, after chocolate chip cookies of course. I almost forgot about this wonderful recipe, until one day when my kitchen mixer was broken and making our staple chocolate chip cookies was impossible, I rediscovered this recipe!
The chocolate flavor of the cookies is quite intense, and they are not particularly overly sweet. The cookie just melts into my mouth, although it still has a pleasant amount of chewiness and crispiness especially from the nuts. Beautiful contrast of color between dark chocolaty dough and the bright white nuts dispersed here and there. They will be a big hit for any dinner party.
WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THESE COOKIES?
Easy to make, no special equipment needed.
Every ingredient is easy to find.
Unique and very nutritious health benefits are offered by the macadamia nuts.
So fudgy and chocolaty, perfect to serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, for an extra special occasion.
Everything about this recipe is pretty straightforward. It can be easily doubled, and the dough freezes well.
HEALTHIER DESSERT IDEAS
ON MACADAMIA NUTS
Did you know that macadamia nuts made their way to Hawaii from Australia around 1881 and were used mainly as an ornament? It was in 1948, that the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station named and introduced several promising selections leading to the macadamia industry that Hawaii is famous for today. Macadamias prefer a mild climate with plenty of rain, similar to how coffee beans grow best. Hawaii brought the macadamia tree to California during the mid 1900s.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MACADAMIA NUTS
Macadamia nuts are rich in nutrients such vitamin A, iron, B vitamins, minerals such as manganese, magnesium, phosphate and folate acid. And just about like any nut, it's good for you because it contains protein (much less than other nuts), and a lot of healthy fats (more than any other nuts) and antioxidants. According to Dr. Berg these nuts should be go to nuts for those who are on a Keto diet.
But unlike other nuts, macadamia nuts' benefits are unique because they are very rich in soluble fiber, which can aid in weight loss and support gut health. Soluble fiber is a perfect food (prebiotic) for friendly gut bacteria. Keeping your healthy gut bacteria balanced is the most important thing that you can do to improve your health.
Macadamia nuts are famous for being high in omega-9 acids. Researchers from Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior tested erucic acid (which is an omega-9 fatty acid) on mice. They found that this component might be beneficial in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Also, additional benefits of the macadamia nuts include the ability to reduce chronic inflammation as well as arthritis.
WHERE TO BUY MACADAMIA NUTS AND HOW TO STORE?
Today these nuts are no less popular than any other nuts on the market. I'm always buying them in bulk here, because they always come fresh, and the price is great. If you are not planning to use them up within a month or so, please store them in the freezer.
WHY SHOULD YOU SOAK YOUR NUTS?
I usually soak all my nuts before consuming them. And, I think I have mentioned many times about how important it is to eat your nuts, seeds, and grains the proper way. Making nut milk is my usual go to for nuts because I just love the creamy texture and delicious taste. When I want them crispy, I just place some on a baking sheet and set the oven on very low heat and simply crisp them up! These make for an easily prepared great snack!
Generally, nuts contain smaller amounts of phytic acid vs grains, but they real issue for us is having high amounts of enzyme inhibitors. According to Sally Fallon these enzymes are useful to seeds and nuts because it prevents them from sprouting prematurely. But for us they can really strain our digestive system.
For this recipe, having the nuts slightly crisp is perfect.
So, let's make these delicious cookies...
Prep time: 2 minutes
Making time: 10 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 8-10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Yields: 24 pieces
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
10 Tablespoons butter unsalted
14 Tablespoons cacao powder or cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups raw cane sugar
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
1 cup macadamia nuts
2/3 cups plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine all dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, Stir in cacao powder, sugar and molasses. Mix everything with a wooden spoon until it is completely combined.
4. Add yogurt and vanilla extract to your cacao mixture. Stir. Add dry ingredients and the chopped nuts into the pan with the cacao mixture, stirring until everything is fully incorporated.
5. At this point divide the dough into two parts and place each one onto a foil sheet. Roll up the dough until it looks like a sausage. Place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes minimum or overnight. At this stage you can even freeze the dough. Having cookie dough saved in the freezer is a great time saver for when you need a batch of cookies to make at the last minute; Ready to go homemade cookie dough, what could be better?
6. Remove the cookie dough sausage from the fridge and peel off the foil. Using a chef's knife, cut into 10 pieces. Place each one on a baking sheet (Lined with baking paper) 1-2 inches apart.
7. Bake at 350F for 8 to10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on the pan for a few minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the other cookie dough roll if you desire right away or keep for later; either way, do not over bake the cookies! They can turn into a rock.
Enjoy!
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.
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