Created by combining crushed macadamia nuts with butter or oil, the basic macadamia butter serves as a tasty spread that can be used as a simple accompaniment for crackers or to make a quick sandwich. This simple nut butter can also be used to prepare frostings for cakes, glazes for various types of desserts, and even as an ingredient in a number of recipes. It is possible to purchase macadamia butter in a number of health food stores and some supermarkets.
Making macadamia butter from scratch requires nothing more than the crushed macadamias along with some type of binder. While more traditional recipes make use of butter or margarine to provide a smoother texture to the macadamia nut spread, it is also possible to use various types of oils. Peanut and olive oils often work very well.
Crushing the macadamia nuts is achieved to best advantage by using a food processor. Depending on the desired texture, the macadamia butter can be very smooth or retain small bits of macadamia nuts. Adding in a little butter or oil helps to give the spread a consistency that is somewhat like peanut butter.
Beyond this basic recipe, it is possible to enhance the taste of macadamia butter by adding in various herbs, spices, and flavorings. The addition of other ingredients is often related to the intended use of the butter. For example, adding fresh parsley to the basic macadamia butter recipe and increasing the amount of oil slightly will create a flavorful glaze that works very well with broiled chicken or fish.
The basic macadamia butter recipe can be utilized as one ingredient to make a slightly unique frosting for a chocolate or yellow layer cake. By combining a half cup of macadamia butter with a commercially produced cake frosting, it is possible to not only stretch the amount of frosting available for the cake, but also add another layer of flavor to the finished dessert. Macadamia butter combines especially well with chocolate and vanilla frostings.
It is important to store any unused portion of the macadamia butter in the refrigerator. Neither the homemade and the commercial brands sold in health food stores contain a great deal of preservatives. This means that unlike commercial peanut butter, macadamia butter may become rancid in a relatively short period of time.
