Hawaiian Shortbread Cookies blend festive holiday decoration with a tropical flavor that's hard to ignore! These buttery, melt-in-your-mouth treats are full of macadamia nuts, bringing a taste of paradise right into your southern kitchen.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
Fit the paddle attachment to your mixer.
Cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is very creamy and light. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes.
Scrape sides of bowl as needed so that all the butter is creamed with the sugar.
Reduce speed to low and add flour and chopped macadamia nuts, mixing until a soft dough forms. The dough will be sticky and soft.
Spoon the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a large rectangle that is ¼ inch thick.
Use your hands to even up the sides of the rectangle.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. The dough is ready when the dough feels firm to the touch and you can peel off the top layer of parchment paper without anything sticking to it.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut dough into 2x2-inch squares. Make sure it stays cold. If it begins to get sticky pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Use a thin spatula to lift the cookie dough off the parchment paper and place onto your prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
Re-roll remaining dough and cut into squares.
Work quickly so the dough doesn't get soft. If it does start to soften pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes.
Bake cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until they turn a light golden brown.
Let cool.
White chocolate glaze
Melt the white chocolate with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until melted.
Dip the cooled cookie diagonally into the white chocolate so that you have a triangle of white chocolate and a triangle of plain cookie.
Decorate with holiday sprinkles.
Notes
Storage:Once the chocolate is cooled and set, place Christmas Hawaiian shortbread cookies in an airtight container with parchment or waxed paper between the layers. Keep 'em at room temperature, and they'll stay tasty for about a week.You can also freeze shortbread cookies—baked or unbaked—for about three months.Tips:
If your cookie dough feels mushy or oily, it's getting too warm. Stop what you're doing a pop it in the freezer for a few minutes until it firms up again.
A food processor is the easiest and cleanest way to chop nuts. Just don't pulse it too much, or you'll have nut butter!