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Home » Cookies » White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Published: May 4, 2022 by Allison · 28 Comments

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These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies have soft centers, crisp edges, and they’re packed white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Two special ingredients make these cookies the best!

Mouth watering cookies with 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.

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies on a plate.

Every time I make this recipe my family devours them. In full disclosure, when I say “my family” I am mostly referring to myself. Because, who can resist a warm, freshly baked cookie? Not me. And these cookies are THE BEST.

Jump to:
  • These cookies are
  • Essential ingredients
  • Recipe overview
  • How to get perfectly round cookies
  • More cookie recipes
  • Love white chocolate? Try these:
  • Recipe
White chocolate macadamia nut cookie with a bite taken out of it.

These cookies are

  • Crisp around the edges
  • Soft in the middle
  • Packed with white chocolate and macadamia nuts
  • Sweet and salty
  • Quick and easy – no chill time

Essential ingredients

The following ingredients set these cookies apart from others of the same variety.

  • 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 light.
  • 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.

Recipe overview

Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Butter and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract.

Egg, butter, sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Flour, butter, sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Stir in white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Cookie dough with white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Scoop and bake.

Cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

Recipe tips

  1. Your butter should be slightly soft, but still 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 or chunks. Ghirardelli or Guittard are two of my favorite brands. You can also chop a good quality white chocolate bar.
  4. Do not overbake. 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).
Stack of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

How to get perfectly round cookies

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.

More cookie recipes

  • Snickerdoodle Cookies
  • Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
  • Salted Butterscotch Cookies
  • Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Love white chocolate? Try these:

  • Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
  • White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
  • Two Ingredient White Chocolate Mousse
  • White Chocolate Raspberry Trifle

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Recipe

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies on a plate.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies have soft centers, crisp edges, and they're packed white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Two special ingredients make these cookies the best!
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 14
Calories: 243kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar , make sure it is fresh and soft
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ⅔ cup chopped macadamia nuts*, preferably roasted & salted
  • ⅔ cup white chocolate chips*
  • sea salt, for garnish, I like flaky Maldon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • 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.
  • Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add ¾ cup each white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and stir until well combined.
  • 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).
  • 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.**
  • Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. 

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

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 78mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Chrissie Baker

    March 09, 2019 at 3:46 am

    5 stars
    These cookies were absolutely amazing- one of the best I have eaten! My siblings (including my sister who is a cookie connoisseur) were going crazy over them and wanted to eat all of them! Very simple to make and extremely tasty- 10/10 would recommend ?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      March 09, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks for the kind review! Glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  2. Jade Manning

    March 09, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    5 stars
    Oh hello!! how good this look??

    Reply
  3. Catalina

    March 10, 2019 at 12:56 am

    5 stars
    These cookies would be perfect to have on hand this week! Look so delicious!

    Reply
  4. Taylor

    March 11, 2019 at 7:00 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Love the flavor from the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

    Reply
  5. Krista

    March 11, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    I want these in my cookie jar! Love a good cookie!

    Reply
  6. Cathy

    March 12, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    Seriously my favorite…and I lOVE that sea salt on top!

    Reply
  7. Lynn Winters

    August 21, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    5 stars
    Best cookies ever and very simple to make love love love them!!!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      August 22, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      Thanks, Lynn! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Enjoy!

      Reply
    • Kayla

      January 23, 2021 at 11:09 am

      Hey! I’m looking to make this recipe. Do the macadamia nuts absolutely have to be salted? Or it can still work without?

      Reply
      • Allison

        January 25, 2021 at 11:07 am

        They don’t have to be salted. I just prefer the extra salt to balance the sweetness. You can always add an extra pinch of salt if you’d like. Enjoy!

  8. Chloe

    October 13, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    My batter turned out to be a thick texture almost as if I’m trying to make cookies with the texture of cake. Is that how it’s supposed to be?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      October 15, 2019 at 9:15 am

      Yes, it’s cookie dough so it should be thick. You should be able to scoop it and the dough holds its shape.

      Reply
    • Cierra

      November 18, 2019 at 9:44 pm

      Cake mix should be wayyy thinner than cookie dough

      Reply
  9. Cookie

    October 27, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    This is a wonderful recipe for Macadamia/White Chocolate Cookies! Some recipes require chilling the dough, and we didn’t want to wait. My guy isn’t fond of salt, so we experimented with some salt and others not. Salt won, hands down! Thank you for sharing this quick and delicious recipe!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      October 28, 2019 at 10:54 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Kay W

    November 21, 2019 at 1:12 am

    4 stars
    This dough turned out too dry and stiff. I literally could not get all the powdered ingredients mixed (and I’ve made scratch cookies a ton in my life). I added a quarter cup of milk and that seemed to do the trick. They were absolutely heavenly. But with macadamia nuts how could they not be right?! Knocked off you star for dry dough. Oh and 10 minutes was about a minute too long but that may be my convection oven I don’t know.

    Reply
    • Kay W

      November 21, 2019 at 1:15 am

      That should read “Knocked off one star…”

      Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      November 21, 2019 at 11:10 am

      Hi, Kay. I’m glad you enjoyed them. Yes, convection ovens bake significantly faster. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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