White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
These bakery style White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are sweet and salty with plenty of nuts and white chocolate throughout. They’re crispy on the edges, soft and chewy in the center. NO CHILL TIME required — just make and bake.
Bakery Style White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a bakery-style cookie that is well-loved by many. These cookies start with a classic cookie dough base that is loaded with white chocolate chips and salted dry roasted macadamia nuts.
It’s a salty-sweet cookie with crisp edges and soft centers. Like crispy cookies? Just bake them longer.
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Unlike other recipes, there is NO CHILL TIME required for this cookie dough! It is my absolute favorite. I’ve also used it in my famous M&M Cookies.
About Macadamia Nuts
These white chocolate macadamia cookies are quite the special treat. Macadamia nuts originated in Australia, but are commercially produced mostly in Hawaii.
Because of this, they can be quite expensive. These fine macadamia nuts add a rich buttery nut flavor to these cookies that would be quite sweet without them.
I prefer using dry roasted and salted macadamia nuts, but if you are cutting back on sodium, you can use raw, unsalted macadamia nuts. I would still toast them in the oven first though. Toasting nuts intensifies that nutty flavor.
HOW TO TOAST MACADAMIA NUTS: Toast whole raw macadamia nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet in a preheated oven at 325˚F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely. Then chop or use as desired.
Homemade vs. Store Bought Cookies
The nuts aren’t the only thing that makes these white chocolate macadamia cookies special, it’s that you can use other quality ingredients and load them with fillings. Homemade will always trump store-bought.
Commercially made cookies are often made as inexpensively as possible — meaning that they use shortening or margarine and very minimal fillings. (My husband was a production lead at Pepperidge Farm and can attest to this.)
These homemade white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, use premium white chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli or Guittard) plenty of chopped macadamia nuts, and real butter. Plus, they’re super easy to make!
Wet Ingredients
For these white chocolate macadamia cookies you will need:
- Butter — unsalted butter should be used in baking to control the salt. Salted butter will still work, but you may want to decrease the amount of additional salt added. Make sure the butter is room temperature/soft. It should leave a small indent when pressed.
- Brown Sugar — lightly packed. PRO TIP: If the brown sugar is a solid shape (like a sand castle) when it’s emptied from the measuring cup, it was packed in too tightly. It should hold it’s shape slightly, but crumble a bit as well.
- Granulated Sugar — because all brown sugar would be too sweet and mess with the chemistry of the cookie dough.
- Eggs — always use large when baking. It’s the most common and egg size does make a difference.
- Vanilla — This recipe uses 1 full Tablespoon of vanilla for extra flavor.
Dry Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour — PRO TIP: Make sure to stir/fluff the flour before spooning it into the cup and leveling it off. Otherwise the flour will be packed, resulting in more flour used, and a drier cookie overall.
- Salt — to boost the flavors and counterbalance the sweetness.
- Baking Soda — to leaven the cookies making them thick instead of flat.
- White Chocolate Chips — For the best tasting cookies, use premium white chocolate chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard.
- Macadamia Nuts — You may use salted dry roasted macadamia nuts, or raw, unsalted macadamia nuts. If using raw, I recommend toasting them before using them in these cookies.
How to Make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix well and scrape bowl.
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Mix to combine. Then fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts.
Scoop and Bake
- Use a #30 cookie scoop to portion the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies into balls. Place the cookie dough about 3-inches apart. I like to do 8 cookies per tray. NOTE: You may save a few extra chocolate chips and chopped nuts to press into the top of the cookie dough balls for professional looking cookies.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes or until edges are starting to brown.
- PRO-TIP: For thicker cookies, press edges inward with a cookie spatula while still warm. Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes! These white chocolate macadamia nut cookies can be frozen. To do this, portion rounded cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.
Freeze cookie dough for at least 1 hour or until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months.
To bake the cookies from frozen, simply place the frozen cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 2-3 minutes longer than written.
To freeze after baked: If you bake the cookies first, you can still freeze them in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, up to 3-4 weeks.
More Bakery Style Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Best Sugar Cookies
- Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Homemade Oreo Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate M&M Cookies
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups (390 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups (213 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (112 g) salted dry roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheet trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just combined.
- Add the white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts. (May save some to press into the tops, if desired.) Mix gently on low speed until just combined or fold into the batter with a spatula.
- Scoop cookie dough balls (about 2 Tablespoons each) and place onto prepared baking sheet about 3-inches apart. (8 cookies per tray.) Press any saved chocolate chips and nuts into the top for professional looking cookies.
- Bake at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just barely starting to brown. For thicker cookies, press edges inward with a cookie spatula while still warm. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To freeze cookie dough: Portion rounded cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Freeze dough for at least 1 hour or until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months.
- To bake the cookies from frozen, simply place the frozen cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 2-3 minutes longer than written.
- To freeze after baked: If you bake the cookies first, you can still freeze them in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, up to 3-4 weeks.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Nutrition
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