White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are classic cookies for a reason! Crisp, buttery edges with soft centers loaded with creamy white chocolate and salty macadamia nuts make them one of my favorite cookie recipes!
Oh I have been holding out on you. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are possibly my husband’s favorite cookie, challenged only by Snickerdoodles. And I have to say, while I don’t want to admit it…maybe he’s onto something. I make a lot of cookies around here…and that’s totally a good AND bad thing. Good because…cookies. And bad because my family has become completely spoiled. Generally they will choose an Oreo over just about any cookie I make, but there are a few that they ask for time and time again.
This is one of those classic cookies that I can never make too many of. AND I’m sharing my tips and tricks on why they are truly the best…move over Subway White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies! Don’t worry…nothing complicated here…you don’t even need a mixer!
Why Are These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies the Best?
When you make a classic cookie recipe your own you better make the tweaks worth it! But don’t worry, I have only switched up a few steps to not only make them easier, but extra delicious!
- Start with browning your butter. I might argue that pretty much every cookie recipe could be improved upon with browned butter, but in white chocolate macadamia nut cookies it just creates a rich, flavorful cookie that when paired with white chocolate chips is perfection.
- And since we’re browning the butter in this recipe, you will be using butter in its melted state, which means you don’t have to get out your stand mixer. Of course you CAN if you don’t feel like mixing by hand, but you don’t have to!
- I make sure I use lightly salted macadamia nuts in this cookie recipe. The slightly salty nuts combined with white chocolate is a match made in heaven!
- No chilling the dough! This recipe requires no extra time to chill, which means warm, gooey cookies in no time!
How Do You Brown Butter?
I go over in the recipe card below in step 1 how to brown butter, but don’t stress out, it’s SUPER easy. It’s essentially just melting the butter on the stove top and then letting it cook a little longer until the milk solids brown, creating a beautifully aromatic amber colored butter. Here are some tips to remember:
- Melt the butter on medium-low.
- Once the butter is melted, stir it or swirl the pan constantly so the milk solids don’t brown too quickly. It burn fast if not stirred or cooked at too high a temperature.
- Your butter might foam up. This is normal, just continue stirring or swirling until it’s amber in color.
- Once the color is a deep-golden amber, remove it from the heat immediately.
- You can brown butter and then chill it so it becomes solid again if you want to use it in the future.
Can You Freeze White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies?
Yes, absolutely! Cookie dough can be frozen and used up to a month later with great results.
- You can either freeze the dough as a whole or portion it out to freeze in scoops.
- If you choose to portion the dough out, follow all the steps in the recipe, and when you are using you cookie scoop to form the dough balls to bake, instead place them all on a baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen, place the dough balls in a large zip top bag to save space in your freezer!
- If you have frozen the dough as a whole, you will need to let the dough thaw before scooping and baking.
- If you freeze the dough in portions, you can bake them frozen or thawed! If you choose to bake them frozen, just add an extra minute or 2 onto the bake time.
Ingredients in White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies:
- Browned Butter: I outlined above and in the recipe how to brown butter on the stove top. If you want to skip this step, you can absolutely make this recipe with just regular melted butter! I use salted butter in just about all my cookie recipes, unless otherwise indicated. I prefer the salty butter, but please note that if you have a salt sensitivity you can absolutely use unsalted butter. It’s a personal preference for me.
- White Chocolate Chips: I love using white chips in cookie recipes. I prefer the brands Ghirardelli, Guittard, and Callebaut, but certainly will use Nestlé if it’s all I have! AND if you don’t like white chocolate, you can absolutely use semi-sweet or milk chocolate in this recipe!
- Salted Macadamia Nuts: I adore the salty/sweet combo of the nuts and white chips, but again, if you have a salt sensitivity please use unsalted!
- Vanilla: I use Pure Vanilla Extract in just about everyone of my cookie recipes. I buy it in bulk, and really love Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, but it can get very pricey. I do recommend that whatever brand you buy, make sure it’s PURE vanilla and not imitation.
- Baking Soda: This is used to help the cookies rise. It’s a standard ingredient in cookie baking!
- Kosher Salt: I always use kosher salt in my baking. I prefer the slightly milder taste compared to table salt, as well as the coarser grain, which allows you to control the amount of salt a little better.
- Flour: In this and most of my cookie recipes I use all purpose flour. It’s the best for cookies! I really like Bob’s Red Milll Flours and have been using theirs for years!
Looking for more WHITE CHOCOLATE Cookie Recipes? Try These:
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Description
These have been my husband’s most favorite cookie for as long as I’ve known him, and I happen to make the best!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, melted and browned
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup macadamia nuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Once melted, continue cooking until the butter is an amber color, stirring constantly (or swirling the saucepan) to avoid burning. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the butter to cool for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Add in the light brown and granulated sugar into the melted and cooled butter, stirring to combine. Add in the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
- Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Stir in the white chips and nuts until evenly incorporated.
- Using a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheet 2- inches apart.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Keywords: cookies and cups, cookies, cookie recipe, white chocolate, macadamia nuts, white chocolate cookie
