These buttery, soft, chewy cookies are studded with smooth, creamy white chocolate and roasted macadamia nuts for a bit of extra texture. Full of flavor, these bakery-style White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies speak to my soul.
We have a serious cookie monster situation at our house and bake a batch of cookies at least once a week! Some of our family favorites are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Best Soft & Chewy M&M Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies, and the Best Fudgy Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies.
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Classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are perfect for your Christmas cookie tray. This recipe makes the best cookies, and they are always a huge hit whenever I serve them.
A white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie wasn't a cookie I could ever remember having made in our home while I was growing up. Yet, when I was visiting home recently, I got a craving for something sweet. I wanted to try something new, and then my Mom said that white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies were her favorite cookies, ever! I don't know why I didn't know this sooner, but it sounded heavenly, so I went to work. After researching recipes and figuring out just what it would take to create the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, this recipe popped up, and the baking began.
These classic cookies are just like those that you find in really great bakeries, with soft and chewy centers and slightly crisp edges. Except, these are even better because 1. you get to taste the dough before baking, 2. you can eat them when they are warm right out of the oven, and 3. you made them yourself!
These cookies really are in the "perfect" category. The white chocolate chunks shine through without being overpoweringly sweet (something that I find is all too common when using white chocolate). The roasted macadamia nuts add an amazing texture and richness to the cookies. Plus, they turn out perfectly every time!
Why We Love This Recipe
- You can customize this recipe to your liking, by adding more or less of the fillings.
- Using chocolate chips will be easiest for this recipe, but you can use a white chocolate bar that has been cut into small pieces if you have that to hand instead.
- With 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of bake time, this easy recipe takes a total of 20 minutes to make!
- They are soft and chewy in the most perfect of ways.
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- White Sugar - For best results use white granulated sugar, alternatively, you can use a granulated sweetener of your choice.
- Packed Light Brown Sugar - I usually use light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will work in a pinch, but the cookies might have a darker color to them.
- Vanilla Extract - Adds a subtle warmth and sweetness to your cookies.
- Eggs - Binding agent.
- All Purpose Flour - AP flour is best for this recipe. Make sure you're adding the correct amount as it will affect the chewiness of the cookies.
- Salt - Enhances all the flavors.
- Baking Soda - To help them rise a bit.
- White Chocolate Chips - Chocolate chips work best but you can use chopped white chocolate too.
- Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts - They have a great nutty flavor that isn't overpowering and works well with white chocolate.
How to Make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Prepare oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Make batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugars until they are combined. Add in the vanilla and the eggs and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy.
Add remaining dry ingredients. Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda into the wet ingredients and mix until they are just incorporated. Add the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.
Put dough balls on tray. Scoop the dough out into 1 to 2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them about 1 to 2 inches apart.
Bake. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes and let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Recipe FAQs
As the time-honored tradition of cookies and milk will never go out of play, you may be wondering what else you can drink or munch on while enjoying these delicious cookies. And honestly, the sky is the limit. While these cookies would taste great with the addition of some dried raspberries or craisins. I mean, white chocolate + cranberries is an amazing combination-don't believe me? Check out my white chocolate cranberry blondies and they will change your mind!
Toasting macadamia nuts gives them a depth of flavor that you don't get with raw macadamia nuts. To roast macadamia nuts, spread the desired amount of nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and place them in an oven at 350 degrees F for about 12–15 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Take them out of the oven and let them cool. Use them whole, chop them, or crush them before adding them to your cookies!
Store cookies in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Cookie dough will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Then when you want to make cookies with it, simply allow it to come to room temperature and continue with this recipe from step 4.
Yes, and it freezes very well! One of the best things about cookie dough is that you can make it ahead and freeze it until you want to use it—perfect for always having freshly baked cookies in the house without all of the mess and constant surplus of dirty dishes to clean.
A great tip for freezing cookie dough is to scoop it and put it on a baking sheet, exactly as if you were about to place it in the oven, and place it in the freezer for a few hours. Then, once the dough balls are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag and freeze them for a few months. When you want a quick treat, you can take out as many cookie dough balls as you want, let them thaw to room temperature for an hour, and then bake as directed.
Tips for Success
- You can use an electric hand mixer on low speed for beating the butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs together.
- Use an ice cream scoop for putting dough balls onto the baking tray.
To Roast Macadamia Nuts: Spread the desired amount of nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and place them in an oven at 350 degrees F for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Take them out of the oven and let them cool. Use them whole, chop them, or crush them before adding them to your cookies!
Substitutions and Variations
- Use salted, dry roasted or raw macadamia nuts depending on your preference.
- Add some dried raspberries or craisins - they taste amazing with white chocolate chunks!
- Make your own version with other flavors like milk chocolate and peanut!
- Orange zest would work well in these cookies to add a bit of citrus flavor.
- Add a little bit of almond extract along with the vanilla extract for an extra sweet nutty flavor.
- Serve these cookies warm with a cup of milk.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- The Best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
- Chocolate Marshmallow Almond Rocky Road Cookies
- Homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened (227g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (200g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (423g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dry roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugars until they are combined. Add in the vanilla and the eggs and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy.
- Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda into the wet ingredients and mix until they are just incorporated. Add the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.
- Scoop the dough out into 1 to 2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them about 1 to 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes and let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Cookie dough will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Then when you want to make cookies with it, simply allow it to come to room temperature and continue with this recipe from step 4.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August, 2016. The photos and content were updated in October, 2022.
My favorites!
I'm finding that a lot of people feel that way! 🙂
Mmm I'd love one of these now. Looks much better than my plain breakfast haha.
Lol, cookies for breakfast sound pretty perfect to me as well!
Happy birthday to your mom!
These are my mom's favorite cookies as well, I might make them and send them to her a sweet surprise!
Also, I'm a SAHM in the Bay Area too!
I can't believe I've never stumbled on your page!
Hi Krysten! So fun that we're in the same area! That is such a sweet idea to make cookies to send to your mom! My mom lives in another state as well but I didn't even think to do that.
This is the best cookie ever! So soft and chewy with so much flavor!
Ooh yum, I'm a big fan of macadamia nuts and love the idea of incorporating them into a chewy cookie.
My FAVORITE cookie in the whole world! I saved this recipe to have on hand and make many times over. Awesome!
First of all I am in love with the photos of your cookies. Secondly,I am making these for my Holiday Party. Bookmarking it.
I agree with you - these are the 'perfect' cookie! My favorite part is they are in my belly in 20 minutes! Delish!