These white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are soft-baked style with extra chewy centers. Melted butter maintains a delicious buttery flavor while an extra egg yolk adds chewiness. They’re absolutely PACKED with white chocolate and salted macadamia nuts.
Everything Old is New Again!
My website’s archives are filled with over 1,000 recipes. Some of my earlier recipes are total hidden gems, but there are others that I’ve felt needed some work. I’ve been working behind the scenes updating older recipes as I find necessary. Most notable updates: peanut butter cupcakes, monkey bread, and yellow cupcakes.
Today’s white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are part of this project. I craved a thicker cookie with softer, chewier centers and a distinct buttery flavor. There wasn’t much in this recipe that really needed to change, so I just made a couple minor tweaks.
They’re now perfect.
Video Tutorial
These are the BEST White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
And here’s why:
- Major chunks—lots of nuts and white chocolate
- Classic comforting flavors
- Extra buttery
- Soft-baked style
- Chewy centers
- Slightly crisp edges
- Easy to freeze
Re-Testing This Recipe
This recipe is a cross between my coconut macadamia nut cookies and my chewy chocolate chip cookies. Like the original recipe first published in 2012, I use melted butter instead of softened butter. I love using melted butter in cookies because it produces an extra buttery flavor as well as a chewier texture. However, it’s not as simple as swapping melted butter for softened butter. (Of course it’s not. It’s BAKING! So particular!)
You see, melted butter—a liquid—creates spread. If there isn’t enough flour to absorb the added liquid, the cookies will spread all over the baking sheet. On the other hand, if there’s excess flour, the cookies will taste dry. Finding the balance between too wet and too dry is a total roll of the dice! Speaking of dry ingredients, I add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch here. This ingredient adds a little extra softness. I don’t add cornstarch when making the coconut macadamia nut cookies because the coconut acts as a really soft dry ingredient, so cornstarch just isn’t necessary there.
The original recipe also used an extra egg yolk. I love this addition! See my chewy chocolate chip cookies or brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies if you’re curious about it. Basically, an extra egg yolk = extra richness and extra chew. Both good things.
Two final changes: I add a little more baking soda for additional volume because the original cookies typically over-spread. I also switch the amounts of sugar. Here we use an equal amount of granulated sugar and brown sugar. In addition to sweetening, brown sugar creates a soft and more flavorful cookie and granulated sugar creates spread. Balancing them helps produce a chewy, yet crispy edge cookie.
Best Macadamia Nuts to Use
I LOVE using salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts in white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. The roasted salty flavor pairs beautifully with the extra sweet white chocolate morsels—you won’t regret it!
3 Cookie Tips to Improve Your Next Batch
- Spoon & Level the Flour: The amount of flour makes or breaks a cookie recipe—literally. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour.
- Chill the Cookie Dough: Chilling the cookie dough, especially since we’re using melted butter, is an imperative step in this recipe. The colder the dough, the less the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. You’ll have thicker, sturdier, and more solid cookies.
- Bake 1 Batch at a Time: You get the best possible results when the oven only concentrates on 1 batch at a time. If you need to bake more than one batch at a time, rotate the baking sheets from the top rack to bottom rack a couple times through the baking process to encourage even browning. And turn the sheets around as well. Ovens have hot spots!
If you can’t get enough of sweet white chocolate, try my white chocolate brownies and white chocolate peanut butter cookies next!
Print
Super-Chunk White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are soft-baked style with extra chewy centers. They’re absolutely PACKED with white chocolate morsels and salted macadamia nuts. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside at least 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (210g) white chocolate chips*
- 1 cup (120g) roughly chopped macadamia nuts*
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together with a silicone spatula until completely combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. (You can use a mixer for this step if needed.)
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days. If chilling for longer than 2 hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like to use this medium cookie scoop), and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- White Chocolate Chips: I usually use closer to 1 and 1/4 cups white chocolate chips, about 210g. For looks, you can press a few extra chips into the tops of the warm cookies when they come out of the oven.
- Macadamia Nuts: I used salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts. You can use unsalted, raw, and/or whichever macadamia nuts you love most. Salted dry-roasted adds incredible flavor though.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
my kids love this recipe, and so do I
Oh my goodness! These are the perfect white chocolate macadamia cookies
OMG! These cookies turned out great! I agree with another reviewer that I would add additional white chocolate chips next time. But otherwise, I followed the recipe to a tea. Family of 4 devoured these in less than 24 hours ( of course there was overnight time we could not count).
Best cookie recipe I have ever made, hands down! My daughter is allergic to dairy so we replaced the butter with coconut oil and the milk with oat milk, and the cookies still turned out amazing!
This is my son’s favourite cookie, we love it! Have made it several times- this time using milk choc plus dark chocolate chips and nuts. Hopefully it’ll taste just as good as the white choc!
This is the perfect cookie recipe! I didn’t change a thing and you’re right, roasted salted macadamias are the key. I actually roasted mine in the oven for a bit and sprinkled a little extra salt to bring out that salty, nutty flavor a bit. Chef’s kiss, absolute perfection. Thanks for all you do for all of us ameture bakers!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and they turned out perfectly—not at all spread out and the dough was easy to work with after chilling overnight and allowing to sit for 20 minutes before rolling. Sally’s recipes have never disappointed. Thank you!!!
Okay, maybe I was too tired after work but for some reason, I used room temp butter instead of melted butter♀️Lol forgive me Sally! They still turned out good though, they just baked up a little crisper instead of soft. I would definitely make it again, just with melted butter next time of course. I also let them sit out at room temp for about 20 mins before baking because they were sooo solid. I also ended up flattening them a bit with a spatula because they didn’t spread too much – again maybe because I used softened butter instead of the melted?
Hi Annette! When cookies aren’t spreading, it usually means that there’s too much dry ingredient (flour) soaking up all the liquid. When measuring flour, use the spoon & level method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag. Doing so leaves you with excess flour in the cookie dough. Hope this helps for next time!
I have a similar recipe, which I love, that includes dried cranberries.
Could cranberries be added to this recipe?
Hi Chris, absolutely! Feel free to replace some of the white chips and/or macadamia nuts with dried cherries, keeping the total amount of add-ins to about 2 cups.
They’re really good! So much more fresh & tasty than a grocery store cookie. I do have an old favorite recipe that uses browned butter, which is obviously amazing, but this recipe from Sally’s is so good – and has more of a classic feel to it – so I’m definitely going to be making these again too!
The recipes here at Sally’s Baking recipes never fail me until now. This recipe is terrible. I read the reviews and thought the people that had the rock hard dough must have done something wrong. That said I did make sure to follow the recipe exactly as written and measure and weigh all of my ingredients perfectly. I have been bakiing since I was 11 years old (the first thing I ever baked were sugar cookies. I got the recipe from a birthday card I got on my 11th birthday. They were delicious and I haven’t had a failure since until now.I would say that was beginners luck) Now I’m in my seventies so I’m no beginner. I’m sorry I didn’t believe all of the bad reviews. I had to toss the dough. Time wasted not to mention I can’t afford to make something else until I get my next medicare check and I don’t believe in wasting food .I have plenty of recipes I’ve baked over and over however I still like trying something new. Maybe I’ll stick to all my tried and true recipes
Just finished my first batch of these, but will not be my last! As always with the recipes on Sally’s site, these came out perfectly! Sally’s Baking Recipes is my go to baling recipe website. Just saw the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie recipe that came out…know what I’ll be trying next!
So glad this recipe was a success for you, Dawn!
hi sally! will brown butter work? i’d love to incorporate that flavor into these cookies? would same amount of butter specified work? ty 😉
You could use brown butter, Sonny. Yum! Here is exactly How to Brown Butter.
Your recipes never disappoint. Love the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
These cookies were even better than I expected!! I fitbit how good this cookie could be. I made them for a friend’s 70th Birthday because they were his favorite and now I’m going to try to make them with less sugar for his partner. Thanks, Sally!!
Hello….let me start by saying when I bake cookies I always go to your recipes….they’re amazing but I always have a problem with these…they always spread out and are thin….I spoon and level my flour but I’m not sure…I also let the dough sit in the fridge overnight and they still spread and ate thin….my customers still love them but I want them to look perfect….please help
Hi Andrea, we’re so glad these cookies are a hit! This guide on how to prevent cookies from spreading will be a helpful resource to review before your next batch. Thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Thanks I’ll give these tips a try
I’m trying to eliminate refined sugars from my diet. So in this recipe I used 300 grams of Allulose and Monk Fruit plus 5 grams of molasses.
Allulose bakes very similar to sugar. Adding the molasses adds back the flavor of brown sugar.
I hope this helps others trying to eliminate refined sugars.
This might be my 50th time making these cookies, they’re always a hit! I’ve gotten requests from friends to make these all the time. I follow everything exact (spoon/leveling is super important. I chill for the minimum 2 hours but I have cheated at 1.5 hours). To those saying the dough is rock solid out of the fridge, work through it. I’ve had both perfect consistency and that rock hard dough but every time I’ve powered through and made the tbsp balls, the cookies always come out as intended. My oven runs hot so I tend to go a little shorter on time depending on how they’re expanding. I will sit and watch the oven for the first batch to see how they’re expanding and gauge the timing from there. (I am baking these in a hotel extended stay currently so I will be watching the first batch to see how hot the oven runs)
THANK YOU! LOVE THIS RECIPE!
this recipe did not turn out at all for me… dough was rock hard after 2 hours in the fridge… so had to wait till it warmed up… rolled them into ball and they stayed in balls after baking. Scooped my flour, measured everything exact and I have round dry cookies. .didnt spread like the picture. so disappointed. should have read the reviews… seems like it didn’t work for a lot of other bakers.
Hi Kimberley, thank you for giving these cookies a try! When you say you scooped the flour, did you spoon and level? When cookies aren’t spreading, it usually means that there’s too much dry ingredient (flour) soaking up all the liquid. When measuring flour, use the spoon & level method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag. Doing so leaves you with excess flour in the cookie dough.
I have made this recipe and it is perfect. Your dough was rock hard coming out off the fridge but it does say…”wait 20 minutes before rolling the balls of dough”. . I follow the instructions and they are perfect.
My hubby cannot get enough of these cookies
Do you have to use an extra yolk or can egg white be used instead?
Hi Joanne! The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and binds the dough. An egg white won’t do the same. Best to stick with the recipe as written!
These are delicious! Chilled them over night and baked a couple the next day, then froze the rest. They are great baked from frozen too: soft and nutty. I used dark brown muscovado sugar which has given them a gorgeous caramel flavour. Will be making them again – thank you for the recipe!
I’m making a cake today which called for egg whites, and I was considering making the macadamia nut cookie dough so I don’t waste an egg yolk. However I don’t plan on baking them until Tuesday. Do you think the dough will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days?
Hi Abigail, the dough can be left (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer than that, we’d recommend freezing the cookie dough.
Hi – I tried making this today and the dough is much drier than your video. Followed all your directions. Help!
Hi Kathy! How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
These turned out to be the best I’ve ever made. I did use a full CUP of golden yellow sugar and only 1/2 a cup of white.
They are superior to any I have ever bought or made.
I Had Great Hopes for this but it was a bust. I followed everything to the letter and I’ve baked cookies for 50 years. Perhaps my baking soda was old…..the cookies are completely flat and extremely greasy. Such a disappointment. I’ve never melted butter like you suggested but thought I’d try it. Something went terribly wrong. If anyone has a clue let me know. I
Hi Sue, thank you for trying this recipe. Did you chill the dough? Chilling is imperative to the success of these cookies. If you decide to try again, take a look at this post to help troubleshoot: 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading.
Just made these for my son; I have to say it was a very easy recipe and they came out picture perfect!!! The taste is amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
I made it and they really love it .thank you so much for this recipe.
First time making white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, although I do a lot of baking, followed recipe using measuring cups, and did not refrigerate, used chopped white bakers chocolate instead of chips. Turned out amazing. Crisp outside, chewy soft centre, exactly what I was looking for!Thanks, will definitely use this recipe again.
THE best recipe for this cookie ever!!! Absolutely DELISH!!! Everyone wants the recipe! I am off to make another batch because they didn´t last long in my house!