Macadamia Chocolate Meltaways

Total Time: 41 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 11 mins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups macadamia nuts, divided (if you use salted macadamia nuts, wipe off excess salt with paper towels before using)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2 1/2 tablespoons corn oil or 2 1/2 tablespoons other flavorless vegetable oil
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, omit if salted macadamia nuts are used
• 1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a food processor, process 1 1/2 cups of the macadamia nuts and the sugar until ground to a fairly smooth paste, about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times.
• 2 add the butter, 2 tbs of the oil, the egg yolk, and vanilla and process in on/off pulses just until well blended, stopping and stirring to redistribute the contents several times.
• 3 add the remaining 1/4 cup of macadamia nuts, the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, is using, and process in of/off pulses just until the macadamia nuts are chopped moderately fine.
• 4 in a small microwave safe bowl, microwave the remaining 1/2 tbs oil and the chocolate on 50% power, stirring at 30 second intervals, until just melted.(alternately, melt the oil and chocolate in a double boiler set over gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.
• 5 remove from the heat) let stand until cooled.
• 6 line a 4 1/2 x 8 1/2" loaf pan with two long sheets of plastic wrap laid crosswise, overlapping in the middle and overhanging the longer sides by about 3 inches.
• 7 divide the dough in half. spoon half of the dough into the pan.
• 8 lay a sheet of wax paper over the top, then press down and smooth to even the surface; peel off and discard the paper.
• 9 using a pastry brush or a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate mixture thinly over the dough.
• 10 immediately place in the freezer until the chocolate is completely set.about 10 minutes.
• 11 spoon the remaining dough over the chocolate.
• 12 lay a sheet of wax paper over the top and very firmly press down on the dough and smooth its surface; peel off and discard the paper.
• 13 fold the plastic wrap over the dough.freeze until the loaf is cold and very firm, at least 3-4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• 14 bake immediately, or remove from the pan, transfer to an airtight plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
• 15 preheat the oven to 325°f grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray. carefully peel the plastic wrap from the loaf.
• 16 using a large sharp knife, trim off and discard the excess dough so the sides of the loaf are straight up and down -- rather than flared; wipe the knife between cuts. if the dough is too hard to cut easily; let stand for a few minutes; don't let it thaw too much, or the dough will be more difficult to slice cleanly.
• 17 carefully cut the loaf in half crosswise, then in half lengthwise to form 4 logs for baking.
• 18 cut each log crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices, wipe the knife clean between cuts. using a spatula, carefully transfer the slices to the baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• 19 bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 11-15 minutes or until just tinged with brown and slightly darker around the edges. reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning.
• 20 transfer the sheet to wire rack and let stand 3-4 minutes to firm up. using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire rack. let stand until completely cooled.
• 21 store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. handle gently, because the cookies are fragile.