I am in love with these small batch macadamia nut chocolates. They're just like the artisan chocolates I love from Hawai'i! All you need is two ingredients: semisweet or milk chocolate and dry-roasted macadamia nuts. These come together in minutes and make for a lovely late-night snack!
Recently, one of my friends brought me some gourmet macadamia chocolate from Hawai'i, and it was my favorite late-night snack for a couple of weeks. All I need is a horror novel, a box of chocolates, and a candle. My perfect night.
Anyways, I stretched it out for as long as I could, but I quickly ran out and needed to re-stock ASAP. It is my new hyperfixation snack after all. Luckily, these chocolates are super easy to make at home if you can't make it to Hawai'i whenever you want! (Although, a girl can dream.)
Like my peanut clusters, all you need is a couple of ingredients. Just make sure you pick a good-quality semisweet or milk chocolate, like Ghirardelli. We are going to temper the chocolate using the technique I learned when I was in pastry school. And trust me, good-quality chocolate makes a big difference!
Also, you could totally use white chocolate in this recipe if you want white chocolate macadamia nut cookie vibes. Just keep in mind that you will need to pay attention to the temperature, because white chocolate seizes easily!
Dry roasted macadamia nuts
The secret to good desserts with nuts is to toast them. It brings out all of the oils in the nuts, which gets rid of any bitterness and makes them taste more flavorful.
I typically buy macadamia nuts that are already roasted, but raw is totally fine too! Just make sure to toast them in the oven at 350°F (177°C) for 5-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and smell nutty.
Temper the chocolate
To make these clusters even better, add a little flaky salt on top. The salt offsets the sweetness of the chocolate, and it's so, so good!
Milk or white chocolate
If you are using milk or white chocolate, you'll do the same tempering process, but the temperature will be different! Here's what you'll do instead:
- Milk chocolate: Melt the chocolate to 113°F (45°C) and cool it down to 80°F (27°C). If you need to rewarm the chocolate, don't let the temperature go over 86°F (30°C).
- White chocolate: Melt the chocolate to 113°F (45°C) and cool it to 80°F (27°C). If you rewarm the chocolate after tempering, don't let the temperature go over 84°F (29°C).
When it comes to small-batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. If you don't have a scale, here are all my tips on how I measure ingredients for small batch baking.
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Easy Small Batch Macadamia Nut Chocolates
Equipment
- Microwave safe bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Cooking thermometer
Ingredients
- 225 grams semi-sweet chocolate see Recipe Notes for using chocolate chips (8 ounces)
- 175 grams dry-roasted macadamia nuts (1 ¼ cups)
- Flaky salt for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Using a sharp knife, roughly chop 155 grams (5 ½ ounces) of the chocolate. Finely chop the remaining 70 grams (2 ½ ounces) of chocolate into fine shards.
- Transfer the 5 ½ ounces of roughly chopped chocolate to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each burst, until the chocolate is completely melted and reaches between 115-120°F (46-49°C).
- Add half of the finely chopped chocolate (this is called the "seed"). Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until it's completely melted. Continue adding the remaining seed chocolate, small bits at a time, making sure it's completely melted before adding more. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely smooth and reaches 84°F (29°C). This can take up to 10 minutes, so be patient!
- Add the macadamia nuts to the tempered chocolate and stir well to make sure they're completely coated. Using a Tablespoon, scoop the mixture into 12 mounds on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if using.
- Let the candies harden completely at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Once they're set, enjoy the chocolates or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think!