Celebrate Macadamia Nut Day with a picnic platter

September 4 marked Macadamia Nut Day, a global celebration of our favourite creamy, crunchy, native nut.

Spread out a picnic rug, gather your nearest and dearest, and indulge in the creamy, buttery delight of Australian macadamias.

To inspire your picnic spread, below are three simple, delicious recipes that showcase the magic of macadamias.

For more recipe inspiration and tips on how to celebrate with macadamias, visit australian-macadamias.org.

‘Everything Bagel’ Seasoned Macadamias

Ready in minutes using an air fryer, these golden, crispy macadamias are full of comforting flavour – perfect for picnics, snacking, or a quiet night in.

Ingredients

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1 tsp cooking oil (olive or macadamia oil)

2 tsp dried onion flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp white sesame seeds

1 tsp black sesame seeds or nigella seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

½ tsp flaky sea salt

Preheat the air fryer to 160°C for 2–3 minutes. Toss macadamias with oil. In a bowl, combine seasoning ingredients and sprinkle over nuts, tossing to coat. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 6–8 minutes, shaking halfway. Cool completely before serving.

Macadamia and Three Seed Crackers

These moreish crackers are perfect with cheese and will add a little macadamia magic to any picnic platter.

Ingredients

¼ cup wholemeal flour

¼ cup oats

½ cup macadamia nuts

2 tbsp each of poppy, sunflower, and sesame seeds

3 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 180°C. Blend all ingredients (except water) until fine crumbs form. With motor running, add water until dough forms a ball. Flatten on baking paper and roll out to 2mm thick. Score into crackers. Bake 8–10 minutes, cool slightly, then break into pieces.

Savoury macadamia butter

Whip up this spicy macadamia butter to serve as the hero of a delicious savoury platter. When served alongside roasted pumpkin, roasted carrots, olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and fresh figs, this satisfying butter turns a platter into a delicious vegetarian feast!

Ingredients

1 cup macadamias

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons water, optional

2 tablespoons harissa paste

Place the macadamias and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and process to achieve a smooth nut butter consistency. If necessary, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time to create the desired consistency. Place the mixture in a serving bowl and stir in the harissa paste.