White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

With crisp edges, soft and chewy centers, plenty of white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts too, these cookies make me grin with every bite.

These are rich, sweet, nutty cookies packed with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. If you aren’t a fan of white chocolate, feel free to use your favorite chocolate instead. However, if you like white chocolate, the combination of macadamia nuts and sweet vanilla chips can’t be beat.

Macadamia Nut Cookies

What exactly is it about macadamia nuts that makes them such a fantastic and classic addition to so many cookie recipes?

Macadamia nuts have a delicate, sweet, almost buttery flavor due to the nut’s high fat content. The nuttiness is much more subtle than other tree nuts – e.g. the more commonly used pecans and walnuts. That very subtle flavor works well to highlight the rich, creamy taste of the macadamias.

There’s something almost magical about macadamia nuts, isn’t there? (There must be, because the price for these nuts can be outrageous at times!)

I try to buy them when they’re on sale – and when they are on sale? I stock up. Macadamia nuts will keep nicely in the freezer for up to a year, so feel free to grab extra next time you catch them on sale.

And speaking of sales, if you happen to find salted vs unsalted nuts on sale, don’t hesitate to buy them – unless you absolutely hate a salted dessert. Personally, I like the bit of extra salt that it adds.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• butter
• light brown sugar
• white sugar
• egg
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour *
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• macadamia nuts
• white chocolate chips

* See the note in the recipe card for gluten-free ingredient alternatives.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.

Add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat to combine.

Stir in the chocolate and the nuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment and then use a medium size scoop (about 2 tablespoon size) to place dough onto the baking sheet. Roll into balls with your hands.

Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove from the oven when the cookies are just barely browned at the edges. They should be slightly puffed, but still soft. If desired, sprinkle the warm cookies with Maldon salt.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Cookies with Nuts

The chewiness of pudding cookies and the decadence of toffee and chocolate create a decadent treat in Toffee Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies. This is an easy cookie recipe that’s perfect with each and every bite.

Walnut Cookies are tender buttery sweet cookies with a center of chewy brown sugar, walnut, and sour cream filling. These are brown sugar drop cookies and that brown sugar and butter combination makes the perfect cookie base for the chewy nutty filling.

Buttery, nutty cookies are topped with the sweet jam of your choice in these simple, gluten free Pecan Thumbprint Cookies.

The velvety sweetness of chocolate mingles with the nutty goodness of walnuts in these Chocolate Decadence Cookies. Paired with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk, these cookies are pure and indulgent chocolate bliss.

originally published 5/27/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/29/24