One of the best things about Hawaii and I love Scones

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the macadamia nut?  Macadamia Nut, mainlanders.  Mainlanders, Mac Nut, star of everyone's favorite Subway cookie, the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.

Here in Hawaii we're lucky enough to have these things at every ABC Store (word on the streets says ABC stands for All Blocks Covered, since you can't throw a stone without hitting one), every grocery store, farmer's market, and hot damn they make good pancakes with 'em almost everywhere.

Macadamia nuts are rich in flavor and are pretty nutritious, even though they have one of the highest fat contents of any nut.  My favorite to eat plain are the honey roasted Mauna Loa brand nuts, but the best for baking are their pre-chopped nuts.  It saves a pretty drastic step in the baking process for those of us who have minimal gear, meaning no choppers of any kind except for knives.

Which brings me to scones.
They're probably my most favorite type of pastry/sweet ever.  I love the flaky biscuity interior and how they're rarely over sweet, since I'm not usually a fan of super sweet treats.  They also use my favorite ingredient: Butter.  So much butter.  I love the stuff.  Scones use the same principle that both pie crust (which I also love) and biscuits in that it's rubbed into the flour cold to create a nice flaky texture.

I used this principle to create a truly tasty treat.  It's  a chocolate, white chocolate macadamia nut scone.  Yum!

Chocolate White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Drop Scones

(Adapted from Baking Bites Milk Chocolate Scones)

1 cup minus 1 Tbs all purpose flour

2 Tbs coco powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Dash of salt (1/8th tsp)

1/4 cup butter, chilled

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbs strong coffee

1 Tbs Kahlua (optional)

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 400F.  

Prepare a baking sheet (I just spray mine with non-stick cooking spray, but you can use parchment paper if you prefer).  

Combine flour, coco powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Use a fork to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed (as long as you cant see a lot of huge patches of white flour you're good).  Cut the butter into pieces and use your fingers to rub it into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse sand.  Combine vanilla and Kahlua (if you don't want to use liquor, just use more coffee).  Combine until evenly distributed.  Add the coffee one tablespoon at a time until the flour all comes together into a slightly wet dough.  Stir in white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Using a table spoon measure, place scones on baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other.  (I made ten mini-scones since I'm not usually much of an eater, you can simply divide the dough into four or five equal parts and make bigger ones).  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until scones are set (meaning solid around the edges and only barely soft in the middle.  When you tap it with your finger it shouldn't stick).

These things are amazingly tasty.  Just so you know.  They're like a mix between a brownie and a scone, with bursts of fantasticly sweet white chocolate and the rich, buttery mac nuts.  

I topped mine with a spoonful of cookie dough ice cream :o)