White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft and buttery. Perfect for holiday baking or giving in a gift basket to friends and family.
This easy yet decadent Cookie recipe takes classic cookies like Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies on a tropical vacation. No need to pack your bags, enjoy these Hawaiian favorites in your kitchen!
Sabrina’s White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe
These cookies are the definition of decadent and rich treats. From the tender, chewy centers to the sweet, creamy pops of white chocolate chunks and buttery tropical nuts, every bite will feel like a splurge. These fancy bakery-style cookies are the ultimate cookie for special occasions and holiday cookie exchanges!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup macadamia nuts , coarsely chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate , coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a stand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until lightened and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt into the creamed mixture and turn onto low until just combined.
- Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate with a spatula.
- In 1 tablespoon scoops add the dough to the cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
The cookie dough for these cookies is similar to Chocolate Chip Cookies, but with about half as much white sugar. Keeping the butter and brown sugar the same, while reducing the granulated sugar, makes the cookie centers soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, even days later.
Can This Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, store this cookie dough for later, freezing up to 6 months, for whenever you get a craving for these delicious cookies. Prepare cookie dough as usual and roll into balls. Place cookie dough balls on cookie sheets with parchment paper. Freeze for 2 hours and then transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag. When you want to bake, pop frozen dough balls onto baking sheets and bake for 12-13 minutes.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- To keep the dough from spreading when baking, keep the cookie dough as chilled as possible. Work quickly and bake cookies as soon as you make the dough, or chill the dough in a bowl covered in plastic wrap until you are ready to bake.
- To prevent flat, super chewy cookies, use fresh baking soda. Leavening ingredients like baking powder and baking soda go stale after about 6 months opened, or 2 years unopened.
- When your cookies are going stale, don’t throw them away – sprinkle crushed cookie pieces on Vanilla Ice Cream!
How to Store
- Serve: Keep cookies in a container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Store: Cool cookies before storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze cookies on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap for 1-2 hours. Transfer frozen cookies to freezer safe plastic bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Enjoy frozen or thaw at room temperature.
Variations
- Dried Berries: For a holiday-flavored cookie, add dried cranberries or cherries instead of the macadamia nuts, or load up the cookies with berries, nuts, and chocolate chips!
- Pineapple: For the ultimate tropical flavors in these cookies, add freeze-dried pineapple pieces or shredded coconut to the cookie dough.
- Crunchy Coating: Instead of adding the macadamia nuts to the cookie dough, finely chop them and set aside. Prepare cookie dough with white chocolate chips and roll cookie dough balls in chopped nuts before baking.
- Chocolate Chips: Swap out white chocolate chunks with white baking chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or any other baking chips. You can also use half white chocolate chips and half a different type of baking chips (like peppermint baking chips) during the holidays.
- Nuts: These cookies would taste good with any chopped nuts you have on hand. Try them with pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts! Roast almonds, walnuts, or pecans before using for more flavor.
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These photos were in a previous version of this post
Hello Sabrina, I am very happy to have discovered your postings, thoughts and recipes. I would like to know your suggestion on how to substitute the safer Stevia plant “sugar” for cane sugar due to dietary requirements!
Thanks so much – it could help so many of us.
Best regards,
Suzy
I am so sorry, I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.
I wish I could give you a good substitution for Stevia with this recipe but cookies can be so fickle with changes and I haven’t tested it. I am so sorry.