Good white chocolate macadamia cookies are an absolute must in any cookie arsenal. The classic flavours of white chocolate and macadamia nuts are classic for a very good reason and these cookies are definitely my proof.

If you’re a cookie lover, you’ll love these dark chocolate walnut cranberry cookies and these chocolate chip hazelnut cookies too.

A stack of cookies with the top one broken open to show the inside.

Why you’ll love it

These white chocolate macadamia cookies have a lot going for them.

  • Crispy on the outside
  • Soft and chewy in the middle
  • Loaded with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts
  • Easy to make
  • A super buttery flavour
  • The size of your palm

I adapted this recipe from my marshmallow chocolate chip cookies then made them bigger.  

This recipe is tried, tested, tried, tested, tried, tested (you get the idea) and just the right combination of good ingredients that, when baked to just turning golden, are positively dreamy. The crisp edges and chewy centers are something you’d find in bakery style cookies. They even made my list of the 25 best Christmas cookie recipes.

Tools you’ll need

Ingredients you’ll need

Just 10 simple ingredients, most of them every day things you’ll have on hand, but it’s such a great combo that you’ll love.

Ingredients for white chocolate macadamia cookies on a marble benchtop.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in these cookies.
  • Flour: Just regular plain flour / all-purpose flour is all you need
  • Baking soda: Also known as bicarb soda, baking soda gives these cookies a little lift and chew.
  • Salt: Just a touch of salt intensifies all the flavours.
  • Sugars: A combination of white and brown sugar gives these the chewy texture and crisp edges.
  • Egg: Use a large egg, free-range if you can.
  • Vanilla: Use a pure vanilla extract as opposed to vanilla essence as it’s a natural flavouring and tastes so much better.
  • Macadamias: Macadamias are a lovely mild and creamy nut but feel free to use others if you prefer. Cashews would work well.
  • White chocolate chips: Chips will work best here but you can use caramel chips for a more caramelly flavour.

How to make them

I love that the dough for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies comes together so quickly. There is also no need to chill this dough. Brown some butter, mix together the ingredients, portion it up and bake for 12 minutes.

A collage of 4 images showing how to make white chocolate macadamia cookies.

Detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

  1. Brown the butter: Melt some butter in a saucepan over medium heat and let it bubble away, swirling every now and then until it’s amber brown in colour (photo 1). Careful not to let it burn. Let that cool a little.
  2. Add sugar, egg and vanilla: Whisk in the sugars (photo 2), followed by egg and vanilla – a balloon whisk is fine here.
  3. Add the dry ingredients: Now add the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda (photo 3), and finally chocolate chips and macadamias.
  4. Portion and bake: I use a medium ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie dough (roughly ¼ cup in volume) and I bake 8 cookie dough balls per baking sheet so they have some room to spread. Bake for 12 minutes in a preheated oven.

Note: Don’t be tempted to skimp on the chocolate and macadamias. They will look like they are too much for the dough but that dough will increase in size a little once you bake them. It looks like a lot but just go ahead and mix them all in as best you can.

A batch of cookies falling off a wire cooling rack.

Variations

Storage

The baked cookies will keep at room temperature well for 3-4 days. They will slowly lose the crisp edges but still be lovely.

You can freeze these cookies, baked or unbaked, but my preference is definitely to freeze them unbaked. You can mix up the dough, bake half and stash the other half in the freezer for a rainy day.

Just portion the dough up and freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container or plastic ziplock bags once solid. They thaw very quickly and then you’re less than half an hour to cookie heaven whenever you feel the urge.

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A stack of 4 cookies sitting up against a small bottle of milk.

If you try this white chocolate macadamia cookies recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you and it helps other readers too! You can also take a photo and tag @sugarsaltmagic on Instagram.

More recipes you’ll love

Top down view of a batch of cookies on a wire cooling rack.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Yield: 14 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
4.8 from 20 ratings
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies are an absolute classic. This buttery cookie recipe results in crispy edged, soft and chewy middle cookies, loaded with white chocolate and macadamias.
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Ingredients

  • 113 g unsalted butter (1 stick / ½ cup / 4oz)
  • 225 g plain (all purp) flour (1 ¾ cups / 8oz)
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda (bicarb soda)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar (66g / 23oz)
  • ⅔ cup white granulated sugar (133g / 4.7oz)
  • 1 large egg, room temp
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup macadamias, roughly chopped (100g / 3.5oz)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips (200g / 7oz)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180C / 350F /160C fan forced. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
  • Place the butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Heat swirling until the butter melts and starts to bubble. Let it bubble away, swirling every so often until the bubbles turn foamy and the butter is amber brown in colour. Pour into a large mixing bowl, holding back any burnt solids, and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • Add the sugars to the browned butter and whisk until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the flour and use a folding and cutting motion with a spatula until just combined.
  • When the flour is 90% mixed through, set aside 1 small handful of each of the chocolate chips and the macadamias and add the rest to the dough. Fold until combined. It will look like too many bits but don’t worry, it’s not.
  • Use 1/4 cup sized scoop, packing it in, to scoop balls of dough and transfer to the baking trays. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bits might fall off but just press them back in – see notes.
  • Add a couple of chocolate chips and a macadamia piece to the top of each. just lightly digging them in, then press down lightly on top of each cookie.
  • Bake for around 12 minutes until just turning golden on the edges – don’t overbake.
  • Allow them to cool on the trays for a few minutes before using a spatula to help to transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cool, they will firm up and be crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales like these are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  3. All ovens vary – check for doneness 2 minutes before the recipe suggests. They should be golden at the edges and dry on top. If they need longer, bake a little more.
  4. Press the dough together firmly so the choc chips and macadamias stick in.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES!
Calories: 297kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: World
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

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