When You Have to Pawn Stuff for Cookies...

Back a while ago (was it really November?) when I was doing bakery inventory, I mentioned that part of the bounty included macadamia nuts for a certain someone's Christmas gift. Christmas came and went, and though I made and gave those cookies I totally forgot to blog about them!! Shame on me, they were the most stellar cookies I've ever invented, turning out much better than I ever dreamed! My sister helped me package them into two cellophane bags tied with super-shiny ribbon (we are definitely ribbon girls at our house), and on Christmas day the still somewhat sleepy Andrew tore into them, chomping down one (or was it two?) while we opened our gifts after my mom's stellar brunch. With no comments about the cookies other than emphatic mmm hmmms, I guess that means he liked them!

Curious about the name? Well, the pawnbroker's symbol is three spheres suspended from a bar. The three sphere symbol is attributed to the Medici Family of Florence, Italy, owing to its symbolic meaning of Lombard. This refers to the Italian province of Lombardy, where pawn shop banking originated under the name of Lombard banking. The three golden spheres were originally the symbol which medieval Lombard merchants hung in front of their houses. Since pawnbrokers are notorious for overcharging their clients, I thought this could be an ever-so-cheeky name for these, given the cost of the ingredients! I've since lost the recipt for all the stuff, but I know the people at the Bulk Barn thought quite highly of me that day!


These cookies sound like a labour of love (and the wallet), but they really aren't all that bad to make work-wise. Heck, you don't even have to toast the nuts beforehand, since they brown beautifully in the oven, and though I made my own macadamia nut butter with raw nuts, you can buy it pre-made. Note that the recipe makes 30 cookies - I made 16 huge (and I mean HUGE) ones for Andrew's gift, but for everyday snacking count on small cookies, they are rich!


Rich Pawnbroker Cookies
30 Cookies
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup spelt or whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup packed powdered (icing) sugar
3/4 cup cocoa or carob (reduce icing sugar to ½ cup if using carob)
1/3 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup macadamia nut butter
1 egg replacer, mixed
1 teaspoon vanilla
45 whole macadamia nuts, halved

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment (*note* spring for the parchment paper... greasing sheets won't cut it).
2. Mix together the flours, baking powder and salt.
3. Blend in the sugars and cocoa.
4. Add margarine, nut butter, egg and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Shape into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart on sheets
6. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.
7. Gently press 3 macadamia nut halves in a triangle fashion on each cookie.
8. Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes.
9. Cool 5 minutes on pans, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 142.8
Total Fat: 9.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 29.2 mg
Total Carbs: 15.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 2.0 g