Macadamia Nut

Macadamia nuts are round, ivory coloured kernels with the softest bite of any common nut: not hard and splintery but dense and almost creamy, with a mild sweetness and a buttery flavour closer to fresh coconut or good shortbread than to an almond. They snap cleanly, then melt.

What sets macadamias apart is texture rather than flavour. Most nuts are bought for crunch; this one is bought for richness, which is why it behaves almost like butter in a cookie dough and why it suits delicate work, desserts and white fish rather than heavy spicing. Reach for it when a dish needs smoothness instead of bite.

How to use them

Bake them into white chocolate cookies, blondies and banana bread, or blend them into a smooth nut butter or a dairy free cream. Chop them over kulfi, halwa and fruit desserts, or press them into a crust for snapper and halibut. They also work in a mango and chilli salad, stirred through rice, laid out on a cheese board, or simply eaten by the handful. Technique tip: toast them gently and watch them closely, because their high fat content takes them from pale to burnt in well under a minute.

Details

Also known as

Macadamia kernels, Queensland nuts, Australian nuts, bush nuts, Bauple nuts, Hawaii nuts