My macadamia nut cookies are soft and chewy, with the perfect amount of crunch and just the right level of sweetness! It's a classic cookie recipe that never disappoints! You can easily freeze your cookie dough to bake up these delicious cookies whenever the craving hits you!
Macadamia nut cookies are perfect for fall baking and Christmas cookies and a popular entry in the best cookies State by State!
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My macadamia nut cookies have everything you want in a cookie. They're soft, chewy, crunchy, and delicious with a glass of milk!
They're one of my husband's favorite cookies, even though he's usually a die-hard chocolate chip cookie fan! However, he's not alone, as this cookie makes the list of the most popular cookies in America!
These cookies bake to perfection in 10 minutes, but I recommend you chill the dough for at least an hour to keep it from spreading. If you love baking cookies as much as I do, you'll likely only need some macadamia nuts to mix and bake this recipe!
🥘 Ingredients
- Butter - Set your butter out to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking for the best results. Melted butter will make your cookies spread, so softening naturally is best.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar or a suitable sugar substitute. Liquid sweeteners will affect the texture of your cookies.
- Egg - Set your egg on the counter 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off.
- Vanilla Extract - Pure vanilla extract is always best, but you can use a vanilla substitute in a pinch. Almond extract is the next best choice.
- Salt - Salt helps to balance the sweetness. Table salt works perfectly fine.
- Baking Powder - Baking powder or a baking powder substitute to make the cookies rise.
- Baking Soda - An equal amount of baking powder and baking soda gives these cookies their fluffy texture! You can try a baking soda substitute if needed.
- Cornstarch - Cornstarch is the bonding agent that holds the cookies together!
- Flour - Spoon and level your all-purpose flour as written in the notes section below. A flour substitute can be used, but it could affect the texture. Gluten-free flour by brands like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill usually swap out easily for me when baking cookies.
- Macadamia Nuts - Unsalted or salted, and adjust the salt as needed. Roughly chop the nuts before folding them into the dough.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Macadamia Nut Cookies
These are quick and easy cookies that are great for beginning bakers! You'll need your measuring utensils, a mixing bowl, a hand or stand mixer, and a baking sheet to get started.
This recipe makes 24 cookies, so you'll have plenty to share! Alternatively, you can freeze half the dough and bake up a dozen for snacking on now.
Make The Cookie Dough
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar. Using a stand or electric hand mixer, beat ½ cup butter (113.5 grams) and ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add 1 large (50 grams) egg, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon corn starch and mix until combined.
Step 2: Add flour. Add 1 ¼ cups (156.25 grams) of all-purpose flour to your wet ingredients gradually, beat at low speed, or mix using a wooden spoon until just combined (do not over-mix the dough).
Step 3: Fold in nuts. Gently fold in 1 ½ cups (201 grams) of roughly chopped macadamia nuts until they’re evenly distributed, then cover and refrigerate your cookie dough for 1 hour.
Pro Tip
Chill the dough quickly. Portion out your cookies onto your prepared baking sheets. The dough only needs about 30 minutes to chill when in small portions. You can even freeze them for 15-20 minutes.
Portion, Bake, & Cool The Cookies
Step 4: Portion and roll. Portion the dough out onto parchment paper or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheets. Use generous tablespoonful scoops and roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between the cookies.
Step 5: Bake. Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 6: Cool. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Add white chocolate chips. Substitute ½ cup (75 grams) of macadamia nuts for chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks if desired. Or try my white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies!
- Adjust the salt as needed. If you use salted macadamia nuts, you may want to slightly reduce the salt in the dough.
- Refrigerate overnight. The cookie dough can be refrigerated up to overnight before baking. This will give your cookies a chewier and more puffy texture.
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🥡 Storing
Once your cookies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight container. They will stay soft for 3-4 days at room temperature, or you can refrigerate them for up to 1 week.
Freezing
Freeze the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours. Then, transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe ziptop bag or storage container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Frozen balls of cookie dough can be baked as instructed, though they will take a few extra minutes to account for the cold dough.
To freeze baked cookies, cool them and put them in a freezer bag. Squeeze out the air and seal tightly. Freeze for up to 2 months.
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📖 Recipe Card
Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 ½ cups macadamia nuts (roughly chopped)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Make The Cookie Dough
- Using a stand or electric hand mixer, beat ½ cup butter and ¾ cup granulated sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add in 1 large egg, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon corn starch and mix until combined.
- Add 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour to your wet ingredients gradually, beat at low speed, or mix using a wooden spoon until just combined (do not over-mix the dough).
- Gently fold in 1 ½ cups macadamia nuts until they’re evenly distributed, then cover and refrigerate your cookie dough for 1 hour.
Portion, Bake, & Cool The Cookies
- Portion the dough out onto parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheets. Use generous tablespoonful scoops and roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches of spacing between the cookies.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Substitute ½ cup (75 grams) of macadamia nuts for chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks if desired. Or try my white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies!
- If you are using salted macadamia nuts, you may want to slightly reduce the amount of salt in the dough.
- The cookie dough can be refrigerated up to overnight before baking. This will give your cookies a chewier and more puffy texture.
- Chill the dough quickly by portioning the cookies onto your prepared baking sheets. The dough only needs about 30 minutes to chill when in small portions. You can even freeze them for 15-20 minutes.
- Once your cookies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight container. They will stay soft for 3-4 days at room temperature, or you can refrigerate them for up to 1 week.
- Freeze the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours. Then, transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Frozen balls of cookie dough can be baked as instructed, though they will take a few extra minutes to account for the cold dough.
- To freeze baked cookies, cool them and put them in a freezer bag. Squeeze out the air and seal tightly. Freeze for up to 2 months.
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