White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

🥘 Ingredients

• Butter - 1 cup of softened, room-temperature butter or a butter substitute.
• Brown Sugar - ¾ cup of packed light brown sugar or a brown sugar substitute. Dark brown sugar can also be used but will add a hint of molasses flavor to the cookies.
• Sugar - ½ cup granulated white sugar or a sugar substitute.
• Eggs - 2 large eggs as your binding ingredient. Or use an egg substitute. Pop your eggs into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to quickly bring them to room temp.
• Vanilla - 1½-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla caviar. See all of my best vanilla extract substitutes for more flavoring ideas.
• Baking Soda - ½ teaspoon of baking soda or a baking soda substitute.
• Baking Powder - ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Combined with the baking soda, these act as leaveners to help the cookies rise. You can also see my guide to baking powder substitutes if needed.
• Salt - ¼ teaspoon salt balances the sugar and enhances the ingredient flavors.
• Flour - 2½ cups of all-purpose flour, or see my all-purpose flour substitutes. Gluten-free flour brands like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill work exceptionally well with this recipe.
• Macadamia Nuts - 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts.
• White Chocolate - 1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate bars, or use white chocolate chips.

🥄 Stir-In Ingredient Ideas

• Browned Butter - While this isn't a simple stir-in ingredient, it is definitely a game changer for flavor! See recipe notes for instructions.
• Dried Fruit - Tasty fruits like cranberries, cherries, dried apricots, sultanas (golden raisins), or your favorite variety.
• Coconut - Sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut, desiccated coconut, or coconut flakes are all flavorful additions. Toast your coconut for more depth of flavor!
• Citrus - Add a bit of lemon or orange juice or zest. Lime would be interesting too!
• Alternative nuts - Swap the macadamia nuts for other nuts or seeds.
• Candy Pieces - Try chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee chips, or caramel bits for a change from the usual white chocolate.
• Added Texture - Stir in chewy oats or salty pretzel pieces for a great twist on the usual cookie!

Tropical Heaven - Add more than one of these easy stir-ins! Combine the excellent taste of white chocolate and macadamia nuts with coconut flakes and chopped bits of dried pineapple. Yum!

🔪 How To Make White Chocolate Chip Cookies With Macadamia Nuts

Grab your ingredients and supplies to get started baking the world's best cookie! You'll need measuring cups and spoons, a mixing bowl or stand mixer, a spatula, parchment paper or baking mats, baking sheets, and a cooling rack.

Depending on your scoop size, this recipe yields approximately 3-4 dozen cookies. There's plenty for holiday cookie baskets!

Step 1: Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix The Cookie Dough

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugars. Beat the 1 cup butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, and ½ cup sugar together in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer until light and fluffy.

Step 3: Add ingredients. Beat in the 2 large eggs one at a time, then stir in 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Step 4: Mix in the flour. Gradually stir the 2½ cups of all-purpose flour into wet dough until fully incorporated.

Step 5: Add the chips and nuts. Then, fold in the chopped 1 cup macadamia nuts and 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks.

Portion, Bake & Cool The Cookies

Step 6: Portion out the dough. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto your prepared baking sheet(s) leaving 2 inches of spacing.

Step 7: Bake the cookies. Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until the cookies are a light golden color, about 8-10 minutes.

Step 8: Cool and serve or store. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

💭 Tips & Notes

• I always suggest baking a test batch of 2-3 cookies before portioning out all of the cookie dough. If you're having issues with the cookies spreading, or you like puffier cookies, refrigerate the portioned dough for 30 minutes to an hour before baking.
• The dough can be chilled up to overnight before baking. This will lend to chewier, puffier cookies. You can also chill or freeze your baking sheets before use to help stop the dough from warming and spreading.
• Alternatively, swap the softened butter for melted butter if you like flatter cookies or crisp edges.
• Browned butter adds a delicious depth of flavor to these cookies. Use a flat, light-colored skillet and watch your butter closely as it browns. Stir constantly during this time, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer into a clean, cool bowl immediately once browned. Set aside and allow to cool slightly before combining to make your dough.
• You may want to reduce the salt to just a pinch or less if using salted macadamia nuts.
• Use quality ingredients for the best results. Opt for European high-fat butter brands like Kerrygold, Plugra, and Wuthrich. American brands like Grassland, Tillamook, Land O Lakes, Vermont Creamery, and Cabot offer great butter, too.
• Likewise, better quality macadamia nuts and white chocolate will equal better cookies. Yum!

🥡 Storing

Place cooled cookies into an airtight container and keep them for up to 3-4 days. Alternatively, they will last for up to a week when stored in the fridge.

Freezing Cookie Dough

Portion the dough balls out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and flash freeze. It takes 3-4 hours for the cookie dough to freeze. Transfer dough balls into a labeled freezer storage bag or container.

I suggest wrapping with heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Bake within 2-3 months of mixing the dough.

Freezing Cookies

Flash-freeze cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet for 2-3 hours or overnight. Transfer the frozen cookies into an airtight freezer storage container or bag.

Wrap with heavy-duty aluminum foil as an extra layer of protection from freezer burn. Freeze for up to 2 months. See my guide for more information on best cookies for freezing.

📖 Recipe Card