White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
These cookies are my weekly installment of baking up the cookies you said were your favorites in my cookie cookbook giveaway. I’m still baking my way through the top 10 and can’t believe I have never made macadamia nut cookies! I actually have never even eaten a homemade macadamia nut cookie; only the large bakery-style store bought variety. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to have another fabulous cookie recipe tucked into my apron pockets! I used roasted and salted macadamia nuts – the salty flavor mixed with the sweet of the white chocolate and cookie dough is a fabulous combination. These are definitely one of the tastiest cookies I’ve ever made.
Can you believe that of all of the baking cookbooks I own (which include big ones like Dorie Greenspan, Baking Illustrated, Williams Sonoma, etc.) not ONE has a recipe for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies? Maybe it’s just me, but I found that to be incredibly bizarre for how popular these cookies are! So I started poking around the web for recipes and of course there were more than enough for me to wade through. This one, however, caught my eye because I immediately recognized the ingredient list (quantities included) as being almost identical to the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that has become my standard. That’s all it took for me to pick this recipe out of the bunch and I’m so glad that I did – they’re fabulous! The cookies are slightly crisp on the outside with a soft and chewy interior, full of chunks of macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Truly an awesome cookie.
Cookies from the Top 10 I have made:
Snickerdoodles
No-Bake Cookies
Almond Macaroons with Nutella Filling
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Thick & Chewy)
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
One year ago: Hearty Whole Wheat Bread
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (201 g) chopped macadamia nuts
- 2 cups (360 g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- 3. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the egg, then beat in the egg yolk, then beat in the vanilla.
- 4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just moistened. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips by hand with a rubber spatula.
- 5. Roll into balls or drop by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets, and press down on the cookies with your palm a bit to flatten (not too much!).
- 6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown and the middles don’t look quite set. Allow to finish cooling on the baking sheet.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Apple sauce is especially good for use in brownies.
Wow these cookies are amazing. I browned the melted butter which gave the cookie a more caramelized flavor, I also add ed 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. I believe the almond extract really kicked the flavor of the cookies up a notch. You know we chefs always tweek every recipe to make it our own. I recieved raved reviews on your wonderful cookies. I made them for a Young Road Scholar who was visiting my Daughter and myself in Georgia. He enjoyed the the cookies immensely. He drove from Georgia to Nashville Tenn. to see his family and they got to sample the cookies as well. I received such a wonderful text from the Young man telling me how much his family enjoyed the cookies. So long story (to long) your cookies were enjoyed by all from Georgia to Nashville. Thank You,
Chef Phyllis
I just made these! Â These are delicious! Â Â And so easy! Â Your site is my “go to” for the best baking recipes!
I just made these they look really delicious. Â They were easy to make. Â I baked them for 13 minutes the texture is perfect and the size. Â But way to sweet. Â To much sugar coupled with white chocolate chips. Â Next time will cut down the amount of sugar besides that they were yummy
Thanks for sharing
Fantastic! I used chopped white chocolate from a baking bar, worked like a charm.
I have a Ghirardelli white chocolate (premium) baking bar. Was wondering if its ok to use instead of the white chocolate chips.
I was thinking I could chop it up to the approx size of white chocolate chips and just go from there…
Excited to try this recipe, have never baked WCM cookies before. Weird cause I LOOOOVVVVE em!
Yep, you could do that! Just know that the chocolate will melt into the cookie vs chips which stay fairly in tact.
I had the same questions:) How did they turn out with the baking bar?
These cookies are the best, I use Aussie salted Mac Nuts chopped up and set a side, then I make the dough and roll them in the nuts. For a different taste I add some coffee granules to the mix as well. I tell ya Yummmm.
Thanks Michelle for sharing these yummy morsels with us.
I found this recipe back when my boyfriend and I first started dating in 2010, and he swears by these cookies! He used to buy the big single cookies from Subway but not anymore :) even his colleagues love them. thank you so much for the recipe :)
Jessica
Do you think you could add raspberries to this recipe with fewer choc chips?
Hi Helen, I would not recommend adding fresh fruit, especially raspberries. They will break down when mixed in and will create too much moisture in the dough.
Do you think you could add raspberries to this mix with fewer choc chips?
Hello there!
Mind if a strange girl from Germany (…me…) calls you a goddess?
:-)
I am over the moon here, these cookies are the end to my quest, finally!!! I have been willing to marry white chocolate and macadamia cookies for a while now, but the right ones never came along. Until now. But seriously, these are perfect. They stay thick while they spread, they are chewy in the best way possible and that TASTE!?! OMG. The only thing that remains to be observed is how they age in the next few days. I keep my fingers crossed. And get reqdy to set the date :-)
Thanks a ton for posting this.
Regards, Cora
Curious what type of macadamia nuts you used since at the grocery store I see roasted, salted, unsalted? Thanks!
Hi Rylee, I use salted macadamia nuts. Enjoy!
Should I use an electric mixer when beating the ingredients or mix it by hand?
Hi Nikki, I think an electric mixer is much easier!
Hi,
I am a big fan of Subway cookies and the white chocolate macadamia cookies sold at Coles.I have been looking for a recipe to help me replicate the taste.Must say one thing..Awesome..I did not have white sugar so I used all of brown sugar.I put in 1 cup of chocolate chips though.Fantastic recipe.
Thanks so much.
I am baking these today. I used 1 1/2 cups white chips and a cup of macadamia nuts. I cut the nuts in half so I had a heaping cup. (Did not have but a cup to start with.) My husband says they are great. I let my dough sit for about 20 minutes before I started baking. I used a small rounded scoop and will probably get 4 dozen. I did push the rounded scoop down slightly. I needed the fifteen minutes. They are pretty and round and puffed like a nice chocolate chip cookie. A new favorite at my house!
I made a quick batch of these on Wednesday…aaand then quickly doubled the recipe so I now have 5 dozen of them right now in my freezer. To say that they are GOOD is an understatement!!! Thank you for this recipe!!
Aloha! My family and I loved this recipe. We used fresh crushed hawaii macadamia nuts from a local farm out here, and the recipe turned out sooo good! mahalo for this blog:)
Made these today for my sisters bridal shower….. I am eating healthy, and it took ALL my strength not to eat the entire batch. Follow the directions exactly, and you will have people begging for the recipe.
I just tried this recipe supplementing gluten free flour. It Worked fantastically. Great recipe! Thanks!
I loved this recipe and will post it on my site to share with more people. I used fresh Hawaii macadamia nuts from http://www.maunakeagold.com. They were delicious!
I have been looking for a white chocolate macadamia cookie recipe that tasted as close to the one that is sold inside of SubWay. Can you tell if this one has about the same or better texture and taste of that cookie (soft and chewy)? Also I do not want it full of nuts, so would 3/4 – 1 cup of mac nuts be enough for the recipe? Lastly, can you make a few at a time and refrigerate the remainder for a few days? Thanks for sharing! Looks awesome and I look forward to trying the recipe. :)
Hi Connie, I have never eaten a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie from Subway, so I can’t tell you if it tastes like it or not. You could definitely cut the nuts down to suit your own tastes. I would recommend freezing the dough balls and baking them off as you want them, versus refrigerating. I think they will stay fresher.
I can always count on BEB for whatever cookie recipe I’m looking for!
And now–I’m off work early, it’s a three-day weekend, and I’m going to start the celebrations by making these cookies. Life is good!
Just found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it. Absolutely divine! Brown Eyed Baker, you have a new follower.
It took a few tries but these cookies came out excellent with a little bit of adjustment. At first they came out really puffy, so i added less flour. Then they came out a bit too sweet so i rolled them in sea salt. Finally, when they came out of the oven cracked I added a tablespoon or so of whole milk and they finally came out just the way I wanted! Amazing cookies.
I just tried this recipe and the cookies came out GREAT! Thanks!
I first baked these cookies about 2 years ago & have made many batches since then…they are DELICIOUS! The cookies turn out soft & chewy every time…YUM! I was on a white chocolate & macademia nut kick after a vacation in Maui…I was on a quest for the best cookie recipe out there…this is it! Just wanted to give kudos to the brown eyed baker ;) Thanks!
I made these cookies yesterday and it turn out great. Tasted really good. I put the dough in the fridge for an hour before baking. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
by far the best cookies I’ve ever made from scratch! great recipe! thanks :)
My cookies came out flat! I dont know what I could have done wrong? I followed the directions exactly how they were there. There is maybe a step that you forgot to put on here or something. I was so excited to make these cookies since they are my favorite and it seems like I am just going to have to keep buying them. =(
Hi Karla, If the cookies came out flat my first inclination would be that perhaps the butter is the recipe wasn’t cooled completely after melting it. I have been in a rush before and done that, and the cookies definitely spread. I would try again and see if that wasn’t the problem.
I did cool the butter. But I will try the recipe one more time and see how it goes.
I was wondering if u could help me here. Just tried your recipe yesterday, use half recipe. My cookies turned out very cakey. Do you know what could be the cause? I didnt use any caster sugar as i thought it would be too sweet. Really appreciate if you could help me out here. Thankssss
Hi Silvya, If you omitted all of the granulated sugar, that definitely could have affected the final outcome of the cookie.
Should I use Salted or Unsalted butter?
Oops, sorry for the oversight – unsalted butter. I will edit that now. Thanks for the catch!
Hi Michelle!
I want to make these cookies for my boyfriend’s birthday (they are his favorite) I was wondering if you think I could substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour? If so, would the amount differ?
Thank you!!
Hi Kaley, You could sub one for one, but I would probably start by only subbing 1/4 or 1/2 and see how they are before you do a total substitution. It will affect the taste.
I’ve been looking for a recipe for these cookies. I’ve read great reviews using the light brown sugar, but also found great reviews using all white sugar. Have any of you tried both to make a comparison?
Funny today this comment showed up in my email…. i was just waiting for the cookies to cool down.. this is my second time baking them and it’s really hard for me to find something i wanna bake again & again. This time i did double the batch but i did use 2 cups whole wheat and 2 all purpose flour.. the macadamias this time i used roasted which gave me a bit of worry that they would taste burn but were great, my daughters love this cookies and if you follow the recipe they will turn out great for Brenda i will say maybe you should cut the dose of chips and nuts in half next time .. DON’T GIVE UP THEY WILL TURN OUT GREAT :D
Brenda,
So sorry to hear your cookies didn’t turn out right. I find I have to follow the receipe exactly but it works like a charm every time and always looks like the picture. I wouldn’t give up on this cookie too quickly.
These cookies don’t look anything like the photo. It is a ton of nuts and chocolate held together by a tiny bit of not-so-great batter (more like shortbread). Wish I’d skipped this one. Would be a lot better with the Nestle choc. chip cookie batter and just add in a few nuts and white chips instead.
Brenda, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. The dough really is nothing like shortbread though, so that’s a little puzzling. And the nuts and chips are definitely a much smaller component compared to the dough. Hope you’ll give this one another shot!
Hello,
So I’m kinda new to baking and after some research I decided to go with your recipe. I’m so glad I did, this is soooo good and it’s good to know the base is similar for ccc’s. My husband has stated, “THIS COOKIE is a keeper, do you know how you made it?” LOL
The only challenge however were the white chocolate chips — they didn’t melt, do you know why?
Thanks,
AP
Hi ap, so glad you liked the cookies! Did you want the chips to melt completely into the cookie? Chips typically don’t melt down the whole way, and white chocolate ones even less so.
Michelle,
thanks so much for the quick response. I didn’t know that about the chips. I didn’t want them to melt fully but to melt more like semi-sweet chips – gets gooey. The white chips didn’t melt in the least bit so I was concerned. I might just put them in the microwave for a quick second to soften them up. Thanks for teaching something new to the newbie baker!
-ap-
Hi!! I tried your recipe and the only things i changed was i used whole wheat ( 1 cup = 5 oz) only i used 9 oz total for the 2 cups this recipe called for, and i forgot to melt the butter, and my husband found my stash of macadamias (which are hard to find) so i only had about 3/4 cup so I added walnuts as for the chocolate chips only 1 cup was enough.. They came out great!!
Hi Claudia, Thanks for sharing your adjustments; I’m so happy you loved these!
My fiance and I just polished off two Sasquatch sized versions each of these cookies – AMAZING! I’ve only been baking about a year and this was an exciting recipe to try. We love your chocolate chip cookie recipe so I was pretty psyched that this recipe was similar. I tried these tonight for his birthday and he really, REALLY likes them. Thanks for another solid recipe to add to the arsenal :o)
Woo! Happy birthday to your fiance, so glad you both enjoyed these cookies!
Easily the best macadamia cookie recipe I have found so far! These are WONDERFUL, and I have made macadamia nut cookies for a LONG time with many different recipes.
I am storing this in my personal recipe book from now on–this is my official new white chocolate macadamia recipe I will go too when I have a hankering for a cookie!
Awesome Dani! Nothing beats a favorite recipe, so happy these have become yours!
I loved these they were awesome. For my own preference I am going to cut back on the macadamia nuts just a tad.
I’m glad I went through the reviews before baking. The original recipe doesn’t state to cool the butter after melting! That is a very important step. Delicious with 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. I plan to sprinkle the last batch with a bit of sea salt like someone suggested to try it out. Can’t wait!
These cookies are awesome! My favorite recipe by FAR!
For some reason, I never think to bake with macadamia nuts either, but I do love the flavor. Great combination with the white chocolate!
These look amazing!
Gorgeous cookies!
These look absolutely delicious! This type of cookie is one of my favorites!
White*
Whit Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are my very favourite cookie but shamefully I have never made them. I must remedy this and fast!
Just discovered your website and tried your version of these cookies. Really good. Am trying your triple chocolate oatmeal next, but am wondering whether I can add walnuts without upsetting the recipe too much.
I did not cool the butter first either (now I know). They tasted great, but like Jennifer said 2 cups of chips was too much.
Michelle, thank you SO much for taking time to email me about the recipe. No, I did NOT let the butter cool after I melted it. DUH. In my message to you, I typed that I wasn’t a novice baker, and I’m not, but maybe I should have known to do that. I didn’t see that instruction in the recipe. I make a buttersctoch brownie where the butter is melted but it’s poured into the flour mixture as is and not cooled first, so that’s what I did with these cookies. Live and learn. Thank you. I’m going to try them again, though I have to say my hubby LOVES the cookies just as I made them. The flavor is still there, they’re just kinda puffy. THANK YOU and HAPPY BAKING!
Kady from Ohio
Hi Kady,
I’m sorry to hear that these cookies didn’t turn out for you. I’m not sure what could have caused the problem though. Did you allow the melted butter to cool before using it in the recipe? This is the exact same base that I have used for my Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies for almost two years now and have never had a problem at all. I have received a lot of feedback on both these macadamia nut and chocolate chip cookies and no one has mentioned this problem. Hopefully another reader can perhaps shed some light.
Did anyone else have a problem baking these cookies? I followed the recipe, questioned melting the butter, but did it anyway, and the “dough” looked more like cake batter – way too thin to even begin to make cookies. I had to add almost a whole cup of flour to make the dough resemble cookie dough. I LOVE white chocolate macadamias and the first batch just came out of the oven. They look too puffy, but no wonder since I added so much more flour. I can’t figure out what happened. I’ve been baking for 40 years, so I’m not a novice. I looked up other recipes for this same cookie and ALL the others I found said to use SOFTENED butter. I bet that was my problem. Anybody else try this recipe and have a problem. I posted this recipe on my blog before Christmas and now feel I have to go back and not only revise it, but offer an applogy to those who tried it and had the same problem I did. I’d love to hear from anybody who make these. Thanks!
When I use melted butter I refrigerate the the dough for a few hours before baking, the dough will look more like cookie dough consistency and the the cookies are thick and chewy.
very tasty cookie… 1st half of the batch came out a little browner (and quite crispy) than i wanted so i took the 2 half out a lot earlier and they are still rather crispy… maybe next batch i will add one more egg yolk… but again, very tasty… just want a bit chewier
OMG! I am certain that they taste just like Mrs Higgins’ ones!!! They’re my absolute favourite and my sister usually buy them for me whenever she stopped by Auckland. I’ve always wanted to know how to make one and now I can~ Thanks!!!
These cookies are not only delicious, they are gorgeous to look at!
Thank you SO much
I wanted to make White Choc Mac Nut cookies today and spent all night going through my cookbooks. Couldn’t find a one! So I did a google search this morning and lo and behold – your recipe popped up! :) I can’t wait to try the recipe. Your sweet and sour chicken rocked so I have high hopes for the cookies.
I made these cookies but I didn’t have any macadamia nuts. They were very yummy…I sprinkled coarse salt on the tops before I baked them and it gave them a nice contrast with how sweet the chocolate chips are. You are rapidly gaining credibility in my kitchen, Brown Eyed Baker.
My absolute favourite cookie!
1 1/2 cups of chips are fine. 2 were way too much. thanks for the recipe! satisfied my sugar rush!
Jen & Steph – So glad you both enjoyed these! Thanks for stopping back to share your results!
these were great! i made them last night…yum!
Just made these cookies from your recipe. By far the best I ever had. Thanks so much for posting this! My family loves them!
These were my pick! I’ve only tasted them once, since I cant find macadamia nuts anywhere, but they were soooooooo good! These look just like them :)
Eliana – isn’t that weird?? I would love your recipe for the muffins!
Hi Jackie – You could use pretty much any nut that you do like. I think pecans would be especially good in here, as well as peanuts. If you try a different variation, I’d love to hear how you liked them!
I used light brown sugar (sorry I left out the “light” – I went back and edited the recipe, thanks for catching that!).
mmmmmmm love thick and chewy cookies! these sound great! and so weird so many books didn’t have a recipe!
Hi
I was wondering what other kind of nuts can I use, I do not like Macadamia Nuts. Also what kind of brown sugar did you use light or dark.
I was also thinking of using Hazelnuts as a change up. I still love Macadamia nuts.
This is by far my favorite cookie and yours look incredible. Funny that none of my books here have a recipe for it either BUY I do have a recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut muffins.
OMG…gluten free here we come!
Those look divine!
Pam
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
Those look delicious – and I don’t even like white chocolate, but they are making me hungry! Stop by my blog at messybaker.wordpress.com for a blog award – I’m not able to post on the nest anymore, but wanted to let you know that I still read and enjoy your blog.
These look so good. I have never made them at home either, but will definetly try this recipe!
I wish I knew someone who loved these. I would love to make them :P
I like them!!! Make some for me!!! Haha
I will for sure do these…they are my husband’s second favorite behind snickerdoodles!!
Would love to have one of these right now! By the way,I did find your message in my spam. I replied to it with my address, so let me know if you didn’t get it. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
These look delicious. One of my favorite cookies!
I need a cookie or two and a tall glass or milk!!!!
HAHA! I did that too! I just took the ATK recipe and replaced with white choc and macadamia THey are soooooooooooooo good! mmmmm
You’re killin’ me! i love these cookies!
I am always up for a cookie. These look great!
These are one of my most favorite cookies! Must try recipe:)