White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

In case you haven't noticed from my constant bragging, I live in Honolulu. It is one of the most beautiful cities on earth. And you can't get far in this town without running into a macadamia nut. They even have their own aisle at Walmart. They come in just about every flavor, both sweet and savory. These soft buttery nuts are one of the few varieties I'll tolerate.

It was an atypical grey and rainy day in paradise, so I decided to make cookies, and why not give them a little tropical flair? White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are buttery, crunchy, and have a burst of creamy sweetness from the white chocolate chips. Even if you can't make it to the beach, these are a little taste of paradise.

This was the last recipe I had to make with muscle rather than machinery. The day after these came out of the oven, the most beautiful thing arrived at my door.

You may recall, I broke my pitiful little hand mixer trying to make ice cream without an ice cream maker. Since then, I've been making things the old fashioned way. I am a strong proponent of the idea that you can still make delicious desserts without special equipment, but I'm also a strong proponent of laziness. I pinched pennies for weeks and weeks to earn this boysenberry baby. I can't wait to give it a whirl.

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White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies

I have a dirty little secret. It's bad. Embarrassing. I don't like fruit. At all. Except for the occasional apple, I never eat fruit. I like the flavors of fruit. I love juice, but I just can't eat fruit. Something about the fibrous pulp that's left behind in my mouth after all of the gorgeous juice is squeezed out just grosses me out. I'm a picky eater. It's a curse.

But raspberries are beautiful, and other people love them. I never said I don't like cooking with fruit, I just don't like eating it. I had the raspberries, and they had to be used, so I made you some white chocolate raspberry blondies. And you loved them. Or at least, my husband and all his co-workers did.

It starts out with a gorgeous white chocolate blondie, but then it's studded with white chocolate chips and gorgeous jewel bright fresh raspberries. If you like fruit, you'll love these. There's a burst of tartness from the raspberries that just makes them come alive.