So full disclosure, I’ve never been a big fan of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. I know, that’s shocking (even to myself in hindsight). As far as why, I couldn’t explain it. Maybe it’s because I never had white chocolate macadamia nut cookies that really impressed me. Well, boy was I wrong for not giving these cookies a fair chance after all of these years! I finally had a chance to try the ones that Subway sells, and that are pretty good! But naturally, it inspired me to develop my own recipe so that I can enjoy these cookies freshly baked any time at home. Specifically, I established a recipe that offer both enhanced nuttiness and offers a comforting aroma.
Ingredients for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
The dough for the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies is made from your standard ingredients: Flour, Baking Soda, Table Salt, Sugar, Butter, and Vanilla Extract. That said, what makes this recipe stand out from the rest is the use of Cinnamon, Almond Extract and all Egg Yolks.
- Cinnamon: Me personally, I’m not a fan of cookies that I would describe as too “one-dimensional.” After testing this recipe with the addition of cinnamon, I find it helps to round out the cookies and give them a more complex flavor profile. Perhaps the biggest drawback with white chocolate chips is they lack the varying notes of bitterness, richness and fruitiness that would you get with the dark counterpart. The reason for this is due to the absence of cocoa solids in the white chocolate chips, which is the main source of the intense flavor and bitter undertones you find in dark chocolate chips. The subtle warmth and spiciness really helps to balance out the simplicity of the white chocolate chips’ taste.
- Almond Extract: Despite what may be a popular belief, technically speaking, Almonds and even Macadamia Nuts are *NOT* considered a nut in the scientific community. Officially, they’re considered fruit seeds. It’s understandable how this can get confusing, because in terms of taste and texture, almonds and macadamia nuts do both mimic true nuts. That being said, what I wanted to do with this recipe is find a way to enhance the nutty flavor you get with the macadamia nuts without significantly changing the texture of the cookie or having it overpower the other flavors in the cookie. So I tested the addition of Almond Extract, a natural ingredient but one that is in concentrated form, and it really struck the perfect balance.
- Egg Yolks: While most recipe call for using all or predominately whole eggs, I tested out this recipe with just the use of egg yolks and ended up getting a desirable result. The thing about egg whites is that they’re mostly just protein, which has a tendency to dry out baked goods. In the baking process, most of the emulsifying properties and fat that we associated with a whole egg lies entirely within the egg yolk. So ultimately, there’s virtually nothing of value lost from excluding the egg whites from these cookies. In fact, just using egg yolks alone really helps to enhance the richness of the flavor and give it a velvety texture.
And lastly, there’s one more thing I can’t stress enough. Cookies are highly sensitive to the proportion of fat vs protein (I.E. flour and egg whites) that is used. Even being off by a mere tablespoon can completely change the shape, texture and flavor. That said, I strongly advise that you use a spoon to gather your flour and even level off the top of the measuring cup with a knife. If you scoop out the flour with the cup itself, you risk packing way more flour into the cup (and eventually the dough) than what is required, thus your cookies won’t bake properly. Weighing your flour with a bowl and kitchen scale is also a perfectly fine option.
Tips for Making this Recipe
If cookies are too puffy, slam bottom of cookie sheet on flat surface. The way baking soda works, the heat in the oven will initially cause the fat in the cookie dough to melt and spread out quickly. That said, in thew final few minutes, the baking soda will be activated and the cookies will really puff up. This is due to all of the Carbon Dioxide that has built up from the baking soda that has dissolved. That said, if they’re too puffy for your liking, when you first take them out of the oven, forcibly slam the bottom of your cookie sheet on a flat surface. This will release the air that has built up in the cookies.
Allow the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies to cool for a minimum of 10 minutes after removing from oven. The inside of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies will continue to set and coagulate even after you remove them from the heat. If you attempt to remove & eat the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies too soon while they’re still hot, you risk having them fall apart.
For the best results, use parchment paper. There are some recipes that suggest you can place your cookie dough on greasy (or lightly greased) cookie sheets. The reason I advise against this is because this can cause both the bottom of the cookies and the edges to overcook and burn (thus, in my humble opinion, making the cookies unappetizing). Meanwhile, if you decided to wing it by just placing the dough on a care cookie sheet, you risk having the cookies stick onto the cookie sheet as the fat melts then re-solidifies during the baking process. I strongly advise placing the cookie dough on parchment paper to ensure minimal sticking, sufficient browning as well as the right amount of spread.
Use a cookie scoop. Why? For one reason, it’s a way to avoid having to scoop & roll the dough for the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and get your hands dirty. But also, a scoop will ensure all of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are the same size and they bake evenly. In fact, as extra insurance, I even like to level the dough in my cookie scoop with a knife (but doing this is optional). For this recipe, I used a 2 TBSP (1 oz) cookie scoop, and do note servings will vary if you use a smaller or large cookie scoop.
Bake a test cookie (or two). The problem with many home ovens, especially if they’re older, is that not all of them are properly calibrated to heat to the correct temp (some of them run too cold or even too hot). To ensure you may not have to adjust the temp higher or lower by about 25 degrees, it may not hurt to test some of the dough for the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies before attempting to bake the all at once to ensure the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies come out per the recipe instructions given.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it required to chill the dough?
While there are many recipes that require you chill the dough, the nice about this one is that is does *NOT* require any chilling prior to baking. That being said, for the best result, I highly recommend allowing the dough to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will allow time for the flour to fully hydrate (which will help to give the interior of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies a chewier texture) as well as allow time for the butter to firm up, so that there isn’t excessive spread of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies once they’re in the oven.
Why did my white chocolate macadamia nut cookies spread too much (or not spread enough)?
While there are countless reasons why your cookies either spread too much or didn’t spread enough, often times, the answer boils down to either using too much protein (I.E. Flour & Egg Whites) or too much fat (I.E. Butter & Egg Yolks). For this recipe, it is imperative that you not only brown your butter, but that you also spoon & level (or weigh) your flour. If you attempt to substitute the brown butter for melted or softened butter, you’ll end up with too much moisture in your cookies as roughly 2-4 Tablespoons of water evaporates during browning. Meanwhile, if you fail to spoon & level your flour, you could end up accidentally packing too much into the recipe.
Can you substitute Oil for the Butter?
The answer to this question always gets tricky.
I do understand that not everyone is able to eat dairy products and that butter is simply not an option for such individuals. In such cases, you *COULD* replace the butter with a cooking oil, but with a couple of important caveats. For starters, while cooking oils and butter are both different types of fats that can be used in baked goods, their fat composition is not entirely equal. Cooking oils tend to have virtually no water in them (thus is 100% fat), whereas Butter typically has a water content of 20-25% (depending on the brand). So in the even you attempt to substitute the butter for cooking oils, I’d advise only using 3/4 cups of the cooking oil.
The other caveat is that the use of cooking oils will change the flavor profile of the cookies. Seed oils (I.E. Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, etc.), are known to be neutral-tasting, meaning they have no flavor. So you will be losing the subtle nuttiness / sweetness in your cookies that Butter offers. But then you also have your non-seed oils such as Coconut, Avocado or Olive Oil. These oils are *NOT* neutral-tasting, which means if you use them, you may end up with cookies that taste like Olives, Avocados or Coconuts, as the oils will overpower the favor of the other ingredients
All of that said, the short and sweet answer I can give you is I *DON’T* recommend it for these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. For a more detailed answer, see above
Can you freeze the dough? And if so, for how long?
You can definitely freeze these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! Once they’ve cooled completely and you’ve cut them into individual servings, place them in a freezer bag and they should maintain their freshness for at least 3 months. While they may still be safe ton eat for up to 6 months in the freezer, the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies will gradually lose their flavor and texture after 3 months have passed. For the best spread, I would advise allowing them to thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking them in the oven.
How long can you store White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies without freezing?
As long as the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are stored in a airtight container or bag, they should be safe to eat for at least 3 days. After 3 days, they may begin to lose their flavor & texture. Once 5 days have passed, I would advise that you dispose of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies as they may no longer be edible.
Try These Other Cookie Recipes
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Best Crispy & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Best Sugar Cookies From Scratch
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Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
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Best Pillowy Snickerdoodle Cookies
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Best Chewy Gingersnap Cookies
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Best Oatmeal Cookies (NO Raisins)
Best White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Equipment
- Whisk(s)
- Plastic Spatula (s)
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet(s)
- Measuring Cups/Spoons
- 1 Knife
- 2 TBSP Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1 'Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts
- 1/2 TSP Almond Extract
- 1/2 TSP Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 TSP Iodized Salt
- 1 TSP Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Melted Unsalted Butter
- 1 TSP Vanilla Extract
- 4 Extra Large Egg Yolks
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt) in large mixing bowl.
- Whisk dry ingredients until combined.
- Add butter + sugar in a separate large mixing bowl.
- Whisk butter with sugar until well-combined (approx. 60 seconds).
- Add other wet ingredients (Egg Yolks, Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract) to combined Butter + Sugar and whisk for 30 seconds each until combined.
- Add wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and fold until just combined.
- Fold white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts into cookie dough until just combined.
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Using cookie scoop, place dough onto cookie sheet and ensure they are evenly spaced.
- Place cookie sheet(s) in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool before serving.