White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookies have never been better! Bake a batch of these incredible, nostalgic cookies and you won’t be sorry.
I’ve been tinkering with these cookies for quite a while now, and finally have the recipe just the way I want it. I promise, you might not find a better white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe!
These cookies are the perfect balance of textures and flavors, with crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. And the sweet, creamy white chocolate pairs beautifully with the buttery cookie dough, crunchy toasted macadamia nuts, and coarse salt on top. It’s that sweet and salty magic that makes these cookies impossible to resist!
What makes these cookies special
Two things set these cookies apart from other white chocolate macadamia nut cookies you may have had in the past:
- Toasting the macadamia nuts, which brings out their flavor and makes it so much more interesting.
- Adding a sprinkling of coarse salt to the cookies after baking to give them a delicious sweet and salty flavor.
“Thanks for the tip about toasting the macadamia nuts! They really are better this way! These cookies are perfect. My husband says they’re addicting.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” — from reader Sarah
“The best recipe I’ve tried! They turned out perfect- crunchy and soft!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Hillary.
Ingredients you’ll need
Let’s get baking shall we? Here’s everything you’ll need for these cookies (full recipe below):
- Salted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Salt
- White chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- Macadamia nuts
How to make white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
- Toast macadamia nuts to bring out their rich, nutty flavor.
- Cream butter and sugarsuntil light and fluffy. This forms the base for these cookies, more about the creaming method here.
- Add egg and vanilla extract. Mixing after each.
- Mix in dry ingredients (flour, bakingsoda and salt) until dough starts to come together.
- Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts just and mix until dough is uniform.
- Scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet pans.
- Bake at 350°F until edges are golden brown, 10-12 minutes for medium, 14-15 minutes for larger cookies.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt the moment they come out, then cool.
Then, enjoy!
Tips for baking the best cookies
- Use dry-roasted macadamia nuts and skip the toasting step. These nuts are usually salted, so omit salt in the cookie dough or use unsalted butter.
- Watch your butter temperature: It should be soft enough that a pressed finger will leave an indent, but not soft enough that your finger can press all the way through. If it’s shiny or melty at all, the butter is too warm and your cookies may spread too much in the oven.
- Be sure to measure flour correctly! All of my recipes are tested using the spoon and level method (more info through that link).
- Use a cookie scoop for even baking and beautiful cookies: A large cookie scoop will give you show-stopping cookies like you see here. More traditional sized cookies can be shaped with a medium cookie scoop.
- If cookies come out slightly misshapen, use a spatula to press them back into a circle right after they come out of the oven. See more of my tips for how to bake pretty cookies.
- Cookie dough freezes really well. I like to keep a stash in the freezer for fresh-baked cookies on demand.
- Storage instructions: These cookies will keep at room temperature for about a week, but are best within a few days of baking. Or you can freeze them for up to 1 month.
More cookie recipes you’ll love
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Cookies
- Toasted Coconut, Pecan, and Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Monster Cookies
This recipe was originally published August 2010.
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 grams) salted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (213 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (150 grams) macadamia nuts , coarsely chopped
- Coarse salt , for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Add macadamia nuts to 1 sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Toast in oven for about 5 minutes, then let cool completely.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add flour, soda, and salt to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Add the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts.
- Portion into rounded tablespoon for medium cookies, or 3 tablespoon scoop for large cookies and place onto prepared sheet pans, with about 2 inch spacing. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes (14-15 minutes for large cookies). Cool on a wire rack.
- When hot from the oven, sprinkle with coarse salt. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer for a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
I really loved your small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe. I want to try this recipe as well and wondered if you think adding dried cranraisins would work in this recipe. I thought it might add a bit of tart and make them a bit festive looking for a Christmas cookie tray. I would love your thoughts on this. Thank you in advance and for sharing your recipes with us.
Hi Annalise,
Can this cookie recipe be baked as a bar cookie?
Thanks
Probably, but I haven’t tested it to be able to give you specific instructions. Let me know if you try it!
Put the macadamias in the oven to toast. About half came out burnt after 5 minutes. per the recipe. Foolishly, I tried to salvage what I could. Now they all have a burnt taste
Thanks for the tip about toasting the macadamia nuts! They really are better this way! These cookies are perfect. My husband says they’re addicting.
Hi, if I buy dry roasted salted macadamia nuts, will it be the same thing as toasting them? Also, if salted, would I reduce the salt amt called for? Thank you!
If you want to use dry roasted salted macadamia nuts, I would omit the toasting and the salt. However, I have not tested this substitution. If you try it, I’d lot to hear how the cookies turn out!
Awesome cookies! I am just wondering. I was cooking in grams and I found the amount of sugar in grams too much. I left out the 100 g of granulated sugar completely and even after that it was kinda sweet! Can’t imagine how it would taste if I wouldn’t leave that out. Are you sure these grams measurements are correct?
Hi Marie! I just double checked and the gram measurements for the sugars is correct. 1 1/2 cups of sugar is pretty standard for cookie recipes of this size. And yes, cookies are very sweet! I’m glad you were able to make the adjustments and still have the cookies turn out.