Happy hearts, happy days: Celebrate with simple treats

February is the month of love, and while romance often takes centre stage, it’s also the perfect time to show some love to yourself – your heart included.

Macadamias, with their heart-healthy fats and plant-based nutrients, are a simple way to add a little natural goodness to meals and snacks.

For a playful Valentine’s touch, try the Raspberry Heart-Shaped Brownies from Love Macadamia. These treats are perfect for a sweet snack, a gift for a friend, or a little self-care moment.

Raspberry Heart-Shaped Brownies

Ingredients:

– 4 large eggs
– 225 grams butter
– 165 grams dark chocolate
– 200 grams raspberries
– 100 grams macadamia nuts
– 110 grams plain flour
– 60 grams cocoa powder
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 350 grams caster sugar
– icing sugar to dust

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Take a heat-proof bowl and place chocolate and butter in it. Take a saucepan with water in it and place the bowl. Take care that water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat gently and stir till the chocolate and butter have melted and formed a smooth mix.
3. Once this process is done, scrape the melted mixture into a large bowl. Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat with an electric hand whisk. Simultaneously, beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and sift into the bowl with the wet mixture. Fold both the mixtures together using a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon until the mixtures get completely combined.
5. Fold the raspberries and macadamia nuts with the mixture.
6. Line a roasting tin or a baking pan with baking parchment. Pour the entire mixture into the lined tray and smooth down the surface till its roughly even.
7. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Brownies are gooey in nature so to test whether you have made the brownies perfect or not, dip a cocktail stick in the middle of it. If the brownies are completely done, only a bit of chocolate should come out with the stick.
8. Take a heart-shaped cookie cutter and cut into heart-shaped brownie pieces. Dust with a little icing sugar.

Celebrate your heart this February with simple, nourishing habits: a macadamia-topped breakfast, a handful mid-afternoon, or a little sweet treat.

For more ideas and inspiration for incorporating macadamias into your month of love, visit the website www.lovemacadamia.org and follow @loveofmacadamia on both Instagram and Facebook.