When I want a taste of Hawaii, I bake a batch of these White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. The crunchy nuts in the chewy sweet cookies always send my taste buds to the islands I love so much.
Why this White Chocolate Chip & Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe is fantastic: My recipe uses salted macadamia nuts! The other recipes fall flat on delivering the sweet & salty combo that's hard to resist.
The classic soft cookie is loaded with buttery nuts and rich white chocolate for great cookie is balance - chewy on the inside while crisp on the bottom or edges plus a sugary sweet dough with salty mix-ins. Talk about perfection!
This island-vibe dessert is a classic Hawaiian recipe & is a summer favorite. Buy extra white chocolate chips to bake them along with my Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe shown below for two irresistible cookies. Ok, now we bake!
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Ingredients for White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies
This recipe takes a standard cookie dough recipe and levels it up. It is all about the nuts & chips, let's be honest.
Here are important notes for some ingredients:
- Salted Macadamia Nuts - roasted & salted; chopped coarsely
- White Chocolate Chips - the classic pairing; Ghiradelli is my favorite
- All-Purpose Flour -pantry staple
- Leavening Agents - baking soda & baking powder to give the cookies a chewy texture while also being thick & gooey!
- Salted Butter - softened at room temperature
- Brown Sugar - for chewy texture
- Granulated Sugar - plain white sugar for traditional sweetness
- Egg - room temperature is best for easy mixing
- Vanilla - floral notes pairs well with nuts
See the recipe card for full list, quantities, & any substitutions/variations.
How to Make Homemade White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
This is a simple no chill cookie recipe. So no waiting, the faster you get this yummy treat in your mouth the better, right?
These will come out thick, not flat & thin like the ones you get at Subway.
Here are the easy steps for making cookies with white chocolate chips & salted macadamia nuts.
- Mix the Cookie Dough
- Roll & Bake
See the step-by-step instructions with photos below plus the recipe card at the end of the post.
1 - Mix the Cookie Dough
Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F. Grease or add parchment paper to a baking sheet.
Once the butter is softened at room temperature, begin making the dough. In a medium mixing bowl add the room temperature butter & both sugars. Using a hand mixer cream until light, airy, and fluffy - 3 minutes on medium-high.
Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to get everything combined in the middle.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. Using the mixer for a few minutes & scrape down the sides as needed until fulling combined.
TIP: When measuring out the flour, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup. Do not scoop it/pack it into the cup - this often results in too much flour & a drier cookie. (no sifting needed)
Add the chopped macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips to the dough. Fold them in with a rubber spatula, do not use the hand mixer.
Once the nuts and chips are evenly distributed in the dough, it is time to bake them.
2 - Roll & Bake
This cookie does NOT need any time in the fridge to chill the dough (though you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake)
Scoop 1.5 tablespoon size dough balls & place balls on the baking sheet - 12 at a time evenly spaced on each baking sheet. These will be thick and chunky as seen here.
Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven on the center rack. Let them cool and set for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool.
Do NOT over bake, they will be light in color as seen here.
Serving & Storing
Enjoy while warm & gooey. Or let cool to make the ultimate Hawaiian Ice Cream Sandwich with a scoop of Mango Ice Cream between two cookies.
This is a smaller batch cookie recipe, making 1 ½ dozen cookies. It doubles easily to make 3 dozen & leftovers store well & stay soft for up to 5 days so go for it.
The dough and the baked cookies are both freezer-friendly. Store baked cookies up to 30 days wrapped tightly. Dough can be frozen for up to 90 days, defrost or bake from frozen.
These cookies are great year round. I crave them more in the summer for obvious reasons but making them during school season for bake sales & snacks is also great.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - salted nuts, do not use plain unless you are on a low-sodium diet.
- Do not over bake the cookies or they will dry out and not be soft & gooey in the middle.
- Macadamia nuts can be pricey, buying them in bulk at Costco or on sale at grocery store bins helps. Enjoy the extras since they have many health benefits.
- Don't love white chocolate; milk chocolate is also fantastic.
- For a fun Polynesian twist, mix in ½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes to the dough before baking.
- Want to make them gourmet - use a good quality melting chocolate & drizzle over the top or dip half the cookie in it & let set.
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White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup salted macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick spray, set aside
- In a medium mixing bowl add the butter and sugars. Using a hand mixer, cream on medium-high for 3 minutes. It should be fluffy & light.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix on medium for 1 minute.2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 egg
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides if needed. The dough will be thick.1.5 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Fold in the chopped nuts & white chocolate chips. No need to chill the dough.¾ cup white chocolate chips, ¾ cup salted macadamia nuts
- No chilling - Scoop 1.5 tablespoon size dough balls & place balls on the baking sheet - 12 at a time evenly spaced on each baking shee
- Place in the preheated oven in the center rack, bake for 8 minutes. They will be light in color, do not over bake.
- Let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to the wire rack to cool. Continue to cool a few more minutes until set & no longer hot to the touch.Repeat rolling & baking with remaining dough.
- Enjoy while warm and gooey!
Notes
- Place cookies in an air-tight container with tight fitting lid & store in a cool dry place (counter or pantry) for up to 5 days.
- Dough can be frozen and defrosted to bake later.
- Add ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes to the dough.
- Use milk chocolate chips instead of white chocolate.
- Double the recipe to make 3 dozen cookies.
Nutrition
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