Macadamia nuts with their buttery crunch have always been a favourite of mine. Picked this season and freshly roasted, I couldn’t help but combine decadent dark chocolate and macadamia together — a perfect truffle combo.
If only I had a nut tree. It is on my list of trees to plant in my backyard, believe me. The next best thing I felt, was to support locally grown nut orchards – and on this occasion, some freshly harvested and roasted macadamia nuts from Nuts About NZ grown in Auckland on the Kaipara.
To grow macadamias, you’ll need to be patient. It will take 4-5 years for your tree to fruit, then another 7 or so months for the nuts to mature. They are harvested green then husked, revealing a dark brown shell (or husk lining). Beneath that of course is the delicious nut. But good things take time and there is a process. The leaves are prickly so harvesting takes some creativity. Some orchardists lay tarp beneath the tree or nets to collect the mature nuts that fall naturally or are shaken down with the help of a shepherds hook.
The green husks are generally removed within 48 hours of picking and the nuts are laid out to dry in their shell or hung in an onion-bag to air. They are shaken regularly so the nuts don’t stick to their shell and can be stored like this for several years.
Dry nuts are easier to crack and you give them a rattle to ensure that the kernel has shrunk away from the shell. To crack, use a commercial nut cracker, vice grips or hit with a hammer! Hours of fun.
Thankfully, Nuts About NZ nuts come both ready-to-shell and ready-shelled. For this recipe I opted for roasted.
Dark Chocolate Macadamia Truffles
Ingredients
- 150g dark chocolate
- 100g butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp of honey
- cocoa powder for dusting
- 8 macadamia nuts
Method
- Firstly, quarter fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer. Cradle an aluminum bowl on top so it heats from the steam, ensuring it doesn’t come in contact with the water.
- Finely chop the chocolate and butter and add to the bowl, stirring until the two melt and combine nicely together. Remove from heat.
- Add the egg yolk and honey and whisk together into the melted chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap then allow to cool in the fridge for around 1.5 hours. It will set firmly into a ganache.
- Cut the whole macadamia nuts in half and set aside. Sprinkle cocoa powder onto a plate – this becomes your rolling station. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the chilled chocolate mixture and, using your hands, mold into balls. Press a macadamia half into each ball and using your fingers, sculpt ganache to cover it so the nut is cushioned in the centre of the truffle. If your hands get sticky, wash them and continue rolling. Roll each truffle into cocoa powder.
- These decadent truffles can be stored in an airtight container for around 5 days.
