Healthy, gourmet macadamia nuts are a delicious snack by themselves, or as an accompaniment to a fruit and cheese plate, but they are also a wonderful addition to some of your favorite recipes and baked goods.

You can substitute macadamia nuts for the nuts in any baked good recipe; they add a rich, delicious flavor to your dessert.

Here’s a recipe to get you started:

Brown Sugar Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

Source: Flickr

Ingredients for the streusel:

• 1 cup Cinnamon Bun Crunch macadamia nuts, chopped
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Ingredients for the cake (or find your favorite butter cake mix):

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pan
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Make the streusel: Heat oven to 350° F. Combine the mac nuts, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl until well combined; set aside.
2. Make the cake: Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides twice. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and sour cream in alternate additions, mixing well between additions and ending with the flour mixture. Spread half the batter in the pan and top with half the streusel; repeat.
4. Bake, rotating once, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap and store for up to 2 days at room temperature (or freeze for up to 2 weeks)

Total prep and baking time is 1 hour and 40 minutes, and this moist and flavorful cake will serve eight happy guests. They call it coffee cake (how about some delicious Hawaiian Ka’u coffee to go with it?) but it’s just as tasty for dessert.

We recommend a little experimentation to find the preferred flavors for your palate. For example, you can opt to substitute some of our other flavored macadamia nuts, like the Vanilla Crunch for more subtle combinations.

Start using macadamia nuts in your recipes and baked goods and you’ll be hooked. Contact Hawaii’s Local Buzz to order yours.