Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

It’s ok to indulge once in a while. Seriously. And what better way to do that than delicious mahi mahi smothered in macadamia nuts? It’s almost better than the chocolate-covered kind (almost). We served this with steamed asparagus, lightly salted and buttered.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely ground
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tablespoons coconut milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the nuts, panko, flour, and butter. Set aside.

Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it liberally with vegetable oil. Place the mahi mahi on the foil and sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush each fillet with the coconut milk. Divide the nut mixture among the tops of the 4 fillets, patting the mixture to spread and adhere to the fillets. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

(Disappearing) White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Continuing my strange cravings for chocolate and nuts…

I decided I wanted white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I NEEDED white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. But I didn’t just stop there, I wanted to make my own vegan white chocolate as well. Ever since I saw the recipe over atBitterSweet, I knew I had to try it. I bought some cocoa butter and soymilk powder, waited far too long for them to arrive (needless to say this has been a long craving in the works). It was surprisingly easy to make, and when I chopped it up for the cookies and popped a few bites in my mouth, was ridiculously delicious. Definitely not the cheap white chocolate you’re used to buying in the stores.

When the cookies finally came out of the oven, the delicious cookies I had been craving for so long, I eagerly bit into one. And bit again. And again. Where was the white chocolate? I was getting crunchy bites of macadamia nut, but that creamy concoction I had sampled earlier? Nowhere to be found.

Hence the ‘disappearing’ white chocolate in the title of this post.

Yup, vanished. Melted into oblivion.

The cookies were surprisingly good, nonetheless, which is why I’m repeating the recipe here, but I’ve got to figure out where I went wrong with the white chocolate – what I need to change about it so that it actually lasts 10 minutes in a hot oven.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes approximately 2-3 dozen cookies. Recipe from Betty Crocker.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces white baking bars (white chocolate), cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks
3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F. Beat sugars, butter, shortening, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in white baking bar chunks and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Is it weird to crave white chocolate? Like, seriously crave?

I knew I had to bake, and I had to bake immediately. And even the thought of the delicious almond cupcakes weren’t hitting the spot.

So I adapted a basic vanilla (vegan!) cupcake recipe and loaded it with white chocolate. Add some chopped macadamia nuts and you have one decadent cupcake.

Wedding cupcake contender? I think so!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces white chocolate
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk or soy creamer
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Stir the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes until curdled.

In a large bowl, sift or mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add oil and soymilk mixture and stir until just combined.

Meanwhile, gently melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or VERY CAREFULLY in the microwave. When melted, stir in the vanilla bean seeds or extract and stir until dispersed. Slowly add chocolate to batter and stir until incorporated. Gently fold in nuts.

Fill each cupcake with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter or margarine until fluffly. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. Melt white chocolate as before, and mix in vanilla seeds or extract. Add to frosting and mix well. Add extract and soy milk, and beat until fluffy (add more sugar and/or soymilk if you need it, until you get the right texture). Generously pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.