Oh, Man, I knew the truth as soon as I heard the silence. Silence can be VERY telling. When a cookie that usually makes people audibly happy doesn’t, that type of silence screams “FLOP!”
It was the nuts; they were bad and it’s my fault. I cut open the bag of macadamia nuts…purchased that day from Trader Joe’s…and, as always, I stuck my nose deep into the bag and inhaled. Although I thought “that’s weird, these macadamia nuts have a bitter, hazelnut-ish smell,” I also thought that once toasted, they’d be fine.
So, I shimmied the nuts into a single layer on a large shallow baking sheet and slipped them into a preheated 350F oven. I set the timer for 10 minutes and waited for the savory scent to give me a hug. Well, although not as potent a scent as usual, it wasn’t a bad smell, not at all. So, I let the browned nuts cool on their sheet, then piled them into the food processor and pulsed them until finely ground. I uncovered the work-bowl and, once again, took a whiff. Now, that smells goooood! So, I thought I was totally good to go.
Not so.
Yes, of course, you’re 100% right. WHY DIDN”T I TASTE THE DARN NUTS!? I have no idea. Maybe my belly was full of something else …Who knows, but that was clearly my biggest mistake.
The first mistake was not buying the nuts at my usual place, which is our local health-food store. I usually buy my nuts raw (untoasted) but Trader Joe’s only had them in bags claiming they were already toasted (but they didn’t look toasted at all, not nearly to the degree they needed to be for me in my recipe). FYI: The reason why it’s not a good idea to EVER buy pre-toasted nuts is because, once heated, nuts release volitale oils which can quickly become rancid (fat in anything is highly perishable).
The second mistake was not going right back to Trader Joe’s as soon as I sensed something was up (or down), whatever.
But, the third and biggest mistake was clearly not tasting the nuts, especially once I suspected they weren’t perfect–and knowing what that could mean to the ultimate taste of my baked cookies–Now, that’s just dumb.
Alas, I continued to make a cookie dough that’s a real favorite of mine; one that’s eventual snowy appearance and sultry taste and texture has always been trusted by me to instigate pure pleasure, but not this time. What a shame since everyone at the table was brand new to my home. (I made a dinner party for my neighbors).
So, all in all, this particular cookie-making experience was pretty humbling. It was actually good for me, though, as it cemented some of the things I already knew about the wonderful world of baking (mentioned above). I also learned a few things about myself…
But, before I share with you my “life lessons,” let me turn you on to a cookie that really is quite special, when made with the right stuff.
Here’s what’s in my (usually very delish) Snowy, Butter-Nut Buttons…
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (packed)
3 tablespoons mild-flavored honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup (I use pancake syrup for the most pronounced maple flavor. Oh, don’t be a snob.)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped, deeply toasted macadamia nuts
Up to 2 1/4 cups sifted regular powdered sugar (not “Snow-White,” non-melting sugar, which is too sweet)
To make the cookie batter …
Using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set this aside. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup and vanilla, until homogeneous. Add the chopped nuts and, when well combined, stop the machine and add the flour mixture. Combine well, with the machine on it’s lowest setting. Stop the machine and, using a rubber spatula, go way down to the bottom of bowl to incorporate any wet and/or dry pockets. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter, for 4 hours (or up to 2 days).
Get ready to bake…
If not working with a double-oven, position the oven rack to upper and lower third shelves. If working with a double oven, have the rack on the center shelf in each. Preheat the oven(s) to 325oF. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using a cookie scoop (with a capacity of 2 liquid tablespoons), scoop level portions of the chilled dough and, one by one, release them into your hand and roll them into a walnut-sized round. (If not using a cookie scoop, use a tablespoon and form balls of the same proportion.) Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookies sheets. You should have 3 rows of 4 cookies each, per sheet, with one extra dough-ball, to be placed wherever there’s a spot. This recipe yields 25 cookies.
Here’s what the balls of unbaked cookie dough look like on their baking sheets…

They start out perfectly round...
Place sheets into the preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 300oF. Bake for 15 minutes, and then, if using two racks in one oven, switch the positions of the cookie sheets. If not, leave things in the center. Regardless, continue to bake until the cookies are light golden but not overly brown on the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes more.
While the cookies bake, set up to apply your sugar coating…
Lay two overlapping sheets of wax paper on your counter and position the cookie racks over the paper. Like this:

Remove the sheets from the oven and let the cookies sit on their sheets for about 3 minutes.

See how, after baking, they look like buttons?
Then, using a thin metal spatula, remove them to wire racks.

My favorite spatula to transfer just-baked cookies to wire racks.

Just baked and still warm...
When just cool enough to handle (they should be still warm), lay the cookies (one at a time) in the powdered sugar, turning them to coat them on all sides. Let the cookies cool further on wire racks. (The appearance of the cookies should appear a bit gummy at this point. That’s good!)

After the first dousing of sugar...
The cookies, at this point, will appear a bit pasty. This is on purpose. The warmth of the cookie melts the sugar so it gets a bit wet, which will help the second coating to really cling. Let the cookies cool before they get their second sugar-coating.
Once cool, roll each cookie again in the remaining powdered sugar. Replace the cookies on their racks, for an hour or so, or until the sugar is set and the cookies are perfectly cool.

- Snowy, Butter-Nut Buttons
Serve and store the cookies…
If serving soon, use a thin metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a decorative serving platter. If serving later in the day of baking, or the next day, place the cookies into a something deep and rectangular (like a large roasting pan), to protect their appearance. Cover the pan, securely, with aluminum foil and leave it at room temperature. Store leftovers in an air-tight tin, separated by sheets of wax paper. If needed, just before serving, sift a bit more powdered sugar on the tops of cookies to correct their appearance.
Want crescents, not buttons?…Ok.
If you’d like to shape these cookies into half-moons, roll the same amount of individual portions of dough into squatty oblongs, then curve the sides either down or up, creating a half-moon shape. Bake the cookies and apply the sugar finish, as described, when making buttons.
Now, on a more personal note: The most valuable things I learned from serving a great cookie gone bad…
Because it’s very hard for me, it’s especially good for me to embrace opportunities to soften my perfectionist tendencies. It’s actually quite freeing (kind of…).
Being so quickly reminded of how vulnerable the sport of cooking/baking can be is valuable because it makes me a better, more compassionate teacher.
The partnership between a cook and her/his ingredients is truly profound. When one drops the ball, the cookie crumbles big time.