White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Our family’s favorite White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. Soft centers, crisp edges, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts. Two special ingredients make these cookies the best!

Mouth watering cookies with soft centers, crisp edges, creamy white chocolate, crunchy macadamia nuts, and a sprinkle of sea salt? SOLD. Gimme. Yes, please! SIGN.ME.UP. These cookies check all the boxes.

MORE COOKIE RECIPES: M&M COOKIES – BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES – SUGAR COOKIES – NUTELLA COOKIES  

This recipe has been on regular rotation for months. Every time I plan to share them with you, my family devours them before I have a chance to photograph them. And in full disclosure, when I say “my family” I am mostly referring to myself, because who can resist a warm, freshly baked cookie? Not this girl.

Let’s talk White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – and what makes these the absolute best!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I have a few special ingredients that set these cookies apart from others of the same variety. I also have a few techniques and tricks for making these come out perfectly every time.

• Brown Sugar: This recipe has more brown sugar than white sugar. The extra brown sugar makes these cookies soft and chewy and imparts a deeper flavor. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and soft; it can be light or dark brown sugar. The photos you see were made with dark.
• Almond extract: In addition to vanilla extract, I also add a splash of almond extract to the cookie dough. The almond extract pairs perfectly with the white chocolate and macadamia nuts. It’s not overpowering, just a subtle, smooth, underlying flavor.
• Sea salt: This is my favorite technique for this recipe. Right after the cookies are finished baking, lightly sprinkle the tops with sea salt. You’ll love the salty-sweet balance! I especially like a flaky finishing salt like Maldon.

Tips for Making White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies:

1. Your butter should be soft, but still slightly cool. If it is too soft your cookies will spread too much.
2. Use roasted salted macadamia nuts (if possible). Roasted nuts have way more flavor than raw nuts, and that extra bit of salt really takes these over the top.
3. Use good quality white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli or Guittard are two of my favorite brands. You can also chop a good quality white chocolate bar.
4. Do not overbake. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know this is my mantra. Pulling your cookies from the oven when they are still slightly underdone will result in the perfect texture – soft centers with crisp edges. Oven times vary, and the size of you dough balls may vary slightly from mine. Keep an eye on them. When the edges are set and the very center is still slightly underdone, pull them out and allow them to cool with the baking sheet set on a rack.
5. Don’t skip the finishing salt. That sprinkle of salt on top of the cookies balances out all that sugar (white chocolate can be super sweet).

MORE WHITE CHOCOLATE RECIPES: CHEESECAKE BARS – WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TRIFLE – MOUSSE

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Our family's favorite White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. Soft centers, crisp edges, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts. Two special ingredients make these cookies the best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Keyword White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 15

Calories 243 kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to cool room temp
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar make sure it is fresh and soft
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts* preferably roasted & salted
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips*
• sea salt, for garnish I like flaky Maldon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add egg and extracts and beat until combined.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add 3/4 cup each white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and stir until well combined.

5. Scoop 2 tablespoon portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets. If desired, top each ball of dough with a few additional white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts (this makes for a prettier cookie).

6. Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes, until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and the very center is still slightly underdone. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, if necessary. If your dough balls are smaller or larger than 2 tablespoons, adjust bake time accordingly. Make sure not to overbake. The cookies should still be soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.**

7. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. 

Recipe Notes

*Optional: I like to press additional macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips onto the top of the cookie dough balls (before baking) to make the cookies look a little prettier.  

**Bake time: Pulling your cookies from the oven when they are still slightly underdone will result in the perfect texture - soft centers with crisp edges. Oven times vary, and the size of your dough balls may vary slightly from mine. Keep an eye on them. When the edges are set and the very center is still slightly underdone, pull them out and allow them to cool with the baking sheet set on a rack.

Nutrition Facts

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 243 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 14g 22%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 32mg 11%

Sodium 128mg 5%

Potassium 78mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 26g 9%

Sugars 16g

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 4.2%

Vitamin C 0.1%

Calcium 3.5%

Iron 5.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.