We were recently approached by Oh! Nuts to try out some of their products and feature them in recipes on our blog.*  After looking at their website, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try some of their great products.  Emily and I both love the bulk food aisle at the grocery store, but sometimes the dried fruits and nuts have sat in the bins a little long.  It can be a difficult task to cook up fruit that is beyond a little dry!  Well, what a nice surprise it was to open up the Oh! Nuts packages and have our nostrils fill with fresh dried fruit and nutty scents.  Yum.  Thanks Oh! Nuts!!

We received ground hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and medjool dates from Oh! Nuts.  We decided right away that we would make three different kinds of cookies incorporating these great flavors.  Emily and I love cooking together and have an amazing flow when we’re in the kitchen.  We might make a huge mess, but we always have a great time laughing and tasting our creations.  Although I’m sure our husbands would like a little less giggling and little more dinner-making.  We didn’t feed them until 9:30 p.m. the night we baked up all these cookies.  I guess we’re sort of over-acheivers trying to prepare dinner AND dessert on a work night!  Next time we’ll stick to ordering a pizza when we bake.

Hazelnut Meringue Cookies
Adapted from Oregon Hazelnuts

4 eggs whites
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups toasted ground hazelnuts
food coloring (whatever color you want!)

Beat the egg whites until white peaks form.  The stiffer the peaks are the more fluffy your cookies will be.  I recommend using a stand mixer or hand mixer for this or your arm will want to fall off by the time you get those peaks!  Very slowly add in the sugar with the mixer still running until all of the sugar has been added.  Add in a little bit of food coloring until you achieve the color you are looking for.  Fold in the ground hazelnuts until the mixture is even.  These cookies will flatten into a puffy circle very easily so don’t worry about getting all fancy with the batter and the pan.  Just scoop the batter on to the pan keeping each cookie about 2” apart.  They really don’t spread very much so you can put them pretty close together.  Bake at 300 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  This recipe make 25-30 cookies.

Macadamia Nut Shortbread
Adapted from Kauai Menu

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 cups macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1/8 cup raw sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together until light and fluffy.   Add both flours, and beat until smooth.  In a shallow dish, stir together macadamia nuts and raw sugar.  Using a 1-inch scoop, form dough into balls and roll in macadamia nut mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula.  Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes about 30 cookies.

Coconut Date Cookies
Adapted from Carrots ‘N Cake

This batter is very sticky.  It will be too difficult to flatten the cookies before baking, so allow them to cool and then lightly press down to flatten a bit.  The inside may be slightly gooey, but they will be delicious all the same.

2 cups pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/2 cup oats
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until there are no large pieces.  Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and then using your hands or the back of a spatula press down lightly on cookie to flatten.  Makes 2 dozen. 

*Full disclosure:  we received these products free from Oh! Nuts

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