Of all the dried fruit varieties, macadamia nuts have the hardest shells to break, but they are worth the effort as they taste truly delicious. After shelling them, they can be toasted and eaten as a snack or served at a party. With some good tools and guidance, toasting macadamia nuts is a really simple task.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Shell the Macadamia Nuts
Step 1. Protect your eyes
Macadamia nuts are famous for their very hard shell. Put on a pair of protective goggles to avoid injuring yourself with a piece of shell as you open them. You can buy a pair of safety goggles or you can use swimming goggles.
Step 2. Get a suitable nutcracker
There is a nutcracker model designed to break their very resistant shell. It is designed to break the shell while preserving the nut inside intact. It is a difficult tool to find in stores, but you can easily order it online (for example on Amazon).
Step 3. Shell the walnuts
Start opening them using the appropriate nutcracker. The tool requires you to pull or turn a crank to subject the nut to intense pressure, until the shell breaks. At that point you can remove it to free the nut inside. Throw away the shell pieces and store the walnuts in a container.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Macadamia Nuts for Roasting
Step 1. Get a baking sheet
Any standard pan should be fine for toasting walnuts in the oven. The important thing is that it has small sides to hold the nuts, which otherwise could roll and fall to the bottom of the oven. Use a classic baking pan about 40cm long and 30cm wide.
Step 2. Pour the walnuts into the pan
Check that they are all roughly the same size, otherwise the smaller ones may burn while you wait for the large ones to finish roasting. If they are not quite even, turn them often to prevent the smaller ones from burning. It is not necessary to flavor them, as they already have an absolutely delicious taste in themselves.
The walnuts should be arranged in a single layer to prevent them from burning or not roasting evenly
Step 3. Make a butter spray
Salt and butter intensify the flavor of the nuts - you can use them to create a very simple blend. Combine water, salt, and melted butter in a spray bottle. The proportion of each ingredient depends on your tastes; for example, if you like the taste of butter, you can use more of it than water. Sprinkle the mixture on the macadamia nuts.
- Put the butter in a saucepan and heat it slowly on the stove over medium-low heat until it has melted.
- Alternatively, you can put it in a bowl and melt it in a double boiler, in this way you will not risk burning it.
- To do first, you can put it in the microwave. Thirty seconds should be more than enough to melt it.
Part 3 of 3: Roasting Macadamia Nuts
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 100-120 ° C
Turn it on and wait for it to warm up. After 10-15 minutes it should have reached the desired temperature; at that point you can bake the walnuts. While you wait for the oven to heat up, sprinkle the mixture you made with water, salt, and butter on the nuts evenly.
Step 2. Place the pan in the oven
When hot, bake the macadamia nuts using gloves or pot holders to protect your hands. Place the pan on the center shelf of the oven.
Step 3. Toast the walnuts for 10-15 minutes
You can toast them for shorter or longer, depending on your preferences, but in any case, check them often while they are in the oven. You will know they are ready when they have acquired a beautiful golden color. If you notice them getting too dark, take them out of the oven right away or they'll burn.
Step 4. Finished
Advice
After roasting them, store the macadamia nuts in an airtight container. Keep them in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them from turning rancid
Warnings
- Don't overlook the importance of wearing protective goggles when shelling these nuts to avoid hurting your eyes.
- Don't lose sight of the walnuts while they are roasting to prevent them from burning.