White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Buttery soft, chewy and studded with smooth, sweet white chocolate that shines and macadamia nuts that add amazing texture, these bakery style white chocolate macadamia nut cookies speak to my soul.

It’s funny the things you learn about your parents as you grow up.  Like I never knew until a few years ago that white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my mom’s favorite cookie.  It wasn’t a cookie I could ever remember having made in our home while I was growing up, but I was visiting home and got a craving for something sweet but wanted to try something new.  White chocolate and macadamia nuts sounded heavenly, so I went to work researching recipes and figuring out just what it would take to create the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.  Afterwards as my family and I were all sitting around enjoying these cookies still warm from the oven, my mom pronounced them her favorite cookies ever.  I asked her if that was a casual comment about how good the cookies tasted that day, to which she thought a second and then clarified that no, she pretty much just liked white chocolate macadamia nut cookies best out of any cookie.  Period.  

I can’t explain why that was so revelatory for me, but now whenever I make these cookies I think of my mom and that day.  And since tomorrow is her birthday, I thought I would post this recipe that now reminds me of her to mark the occasion.

These cookies really are in the “perfect” category.  The white chocolate shines as a star without being overpoweringly sweet (something that I find is all too common when using white chocolate), and the macadamia nuts add amazing texture and richness to the cookies.  And they turn out perfectly every time.  These white chocolate macadamia nut cookies remind me of those perfect cookies you can find in a really great bakery – soft with a slightly crunchy edge – except these are even better because 1. you get to taste the dough before baking if you make them at home, 2. you can eat them when they are warm right out of the oven, and 3. you made them yourself!  I love the process of creaming butter and sugars and eggs and creating cookie dough so I miss out on that when I buy a cookie from a bakery.  Oh, and you can make an entire BATCH of cookies for the price of what ONE bakery cookie would cost.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Pin this!

4.34 from 3 votes

Print

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Servings: 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dry roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until combined. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy.
3. Stir the flour, salt and soda into the wet ingredients and mix just until they are incorporated. Mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
4. Scoop 1 to 2 tablespoon size balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.