White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies

Last night as I was figuring out what kind of cookies to make today, my husband requested his favorite-White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.  I didn't have a recipe for those, so I went to foodgawker.com and did a search for those cookies.  I told to pick out which ever cookies he wanted based upon looks alone.  He chose these, which are a bar cookie.

I had to make a trip to the grocery store to pick up the white chocolate and macadamia nuts this morning, and then I got started.  The first step was to toast the macadamia nuts for 5-10 minutes.  I figured 10 minutes would be good since I had just turned on the oven and it was still preheating.  When the timer went off, the macadamia nuts were burned, so I headed back to the grocery store for round two.

This time when I got back home, things mostly went according to plan.  I may have added a little too much almond extract, but other than that, I followed the recipe very closely.  My hubby loved them!

Here is the recipe as found on the Crepes of Wrath blog:

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies

1/2 pound (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Turbinado sugar (for garnish/sprinkling – optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Chop your macadamia nuts and place them on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Allow to cool before using.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until a smooth batter is formed (this should take 3-5 minutes). While the machine is running, add the eggs, the vanilla extract, and almond extract (if you’re using it), until incorporated into the batter.
3. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed just until a dough is formed (don’t over-beat!). Either by hand (literally) or with a big spoon or spatula, fold the nuts and chips into the dough.
4. Once the dough is all blended, line and/or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with Pam. Spread the batter into the pan with a greased spatula or just use your hands to press the dough in (this is what I did) and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until set and lightly golden (this may even take 40 minutes, so just keep an eye on them!). Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting. Store in an air-tight container.