White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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If any cookie deserves to be described as heavenly, this is it!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft, chewy cookies perfectly sweetened with white chocolate chips and shredded coconut with bits of crunchy lightly salted macadamia nuts throughout.

Pull these tasty gourmet cookies out of the oven when they have a soft and puffy center and lightly crisp edges.Then, let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and the texture becomes perfectly chewy and delectable!

One batch makes plenty enough for gifting. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are always a lovely surprise at parties and cookie swaps and make a delicious addition to gift bags or cookie trays for the holidays.

You say you’re a white chocolate fan? My White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn is sweet, salty, minty, crunchy, and totally addictive! Or, you may be interested in these White Chocolate Cranberry Scones or my Raspberry Scones with white chocolate drizzle.

Key ingredients & substitutions for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

• White chocolate chips — My favorite brand of white chocolate chips is Ghirardelli Classic White Premium Baking Chips. They have a delicious flavor and a velvety smooth texture.
• Macadamia nuts — Use lightly salted macadamia nuts and chop them coarsely, leaving a few bigger chunks for crunch in the cookies. Roasted macadamias are particularly flavorful baked in these cookies.
• Sugars — This recipe calls for an equal amount of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. I haven’t experimented with using just one or the other, so I can’t say what the results would be.
• Coconut — Sweetened shredded coconut gives these cookies a tropical flair and added sweetness.
• Dairy — With baked goods, it’s best to let your dairy ingredients come to room temperature before getting started. Pull the eggs and butter out of the refrigerator about an hour before starting. Cold eggs could result in tough cookies.

How to make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies?

STEP 1 | Mix the cookie dough

Pay close attention to the directions and order of ingredients! The egg is added after creaming the butter with the sugars, and the vanilla is mixed in at the very end.

Also, don’t add all of the flour mixture at once or you’ll be cleaning it up off the counter! I recommend adding about half of the flour at a time and mixing on a low speed just until incorporated.

Last, use a heavy duty rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and coconut. The dough will be stiff, so fold the dough over from the bottom of the bowl until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

STEP 3 | Bake and cool

Drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are partially set — but still puffy in the middle — and the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently asked questions

Behind the recipe: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Today is FREAKY FRIDAY, y’all! That may not mean a thing to you, but it’s pretty exciting for me. Freaky Friday is a fun blog project (the brainchild of Michaela from An Affair From the Heart). Today a group of food bloggers secretly bake a cookie recipe from another blog they were assigned, then reveal the recipes at the same time.

So… today’s delicious White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookie recipe comes originally from Ellen, creator of Family Around the Table. Ellen is a freelance writer, recipe developer and former correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times where she wrote a regular TASTE section feature. 

Ellen loves to bake and has an entire section dedicated to her favorite Christmas cookie recipes! I can’t wait to try her Chewy Oatmeal Ginger Cookies and Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies next!

Take a look at all of our 2021 Freaky Friday Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes:

1. An Affair from the Heart – Candy Cane Puppy Chow
2. The Carefree Kitchen – Christmas Linzer Cookies
3. Devour Dinner – Peppermint Meltaways
4. Family Around the Table – Chocolate Overload Cookies
5. The Foodie Affair – Easy Pecan Pie Crust Cookie Recipe
6. Fresh April Flours – Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. The Fresh Cooky – White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
8. Hostess at Heart – Crumbl Cookie Recipe
9. House of Nash Eats – Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
10. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
11. Lemoine Family Kitchen – Lemon Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Jam
12. Lemon Blossoms – Cranberry Orange Biscotti
13. Life Currents – Chocolate Mint Rugelach
14. Life, Love & Good Food – White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
15. Soulfully Made – Polar Bear Paw Cookies
16. The Speckled Palate – Saltine Cracker Toffee
17. Sue Bee Homemaker – Jam Thumbprint Cookies
18. Take Two Tapas – Sugar Cookie Truffles

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Author: Sheila Thigpen

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft, chewy cookies perfectly sweetened with white chocolate chips and shredded coconut.

4.90 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Cookies & Bars

Cuisine American

Servings 3 dozen

Calories 198 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
• 1 cup macadamia nuts coarsely chopped
• ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter along with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Next, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mixing well after each addition.
• Add about half of the flour to the dough and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix agin.
• Using a stiff rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and coconut.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart.
• Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned — don't over bake! Remove the cookies from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Original recipe by Family Around the Table

Using a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the baking sheet ensures cookies bake up in a uniform size.

While the cookies are still warm, if you like gently press more white chocolate chips on top for presentation.

To freeze baked cookies, allow to cool completely then seal tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To freeze unbaked cookie dough, shape into balls first and store tightly sealed in the freezer for up to 3 months. When baking frozen cookie dough, allow an extra 4 to 5 minutes in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 198kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword baking, cookie exchange, cookie tray, cookies, dessert, holidays, white chocolate

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