White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Personally, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies have never been my favorite. I don’t dislike them, but if there is a different cookie option, I usually go with whatever else is available. Because of this, I had never actually made these cookies before, just never had a desire to.

Well, turns out they are my neighbor’s favorite, and he requested that I make them the next time I felt like baking. I was very pleased with how they turned out, and I realized that these are actually very good cookies. I had just never given them much chance compared to other cookies. But the white chocolate is rich and creamy, and the macadamia nuts are a nice balance to keep the cookie from being overindulgent.

For this recipe, you, of course, need white chocolate and macadamia nuts. I like to use white chocolate chips, mostly for convenience. However, if you’re feeling fancy and want to use a good-quality white chocolate bar, you can do that. You’ll just need to chop it up first. You will also need to chop the macadamia nuts. Just a rough cut - they don’t need to be perfect or even very uniform. I like to cut mine until the largest pieces are roughly the size of the white chocolate chips. This is my preference because I don’t like biting into cookies and getting a big bite of nut.

The rest of the recipe is similar to most cookie recipes. Cream together the butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Then, add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Finally, stir in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts, roll the dough into balls, and bake.

It is recommended to refrigerate the dough before baking, but this is not strictly necessary. So why do so many cookie recipes recommend chilling the dough? Here’s why: When cookie dough is chilled, the butter hardens. Then, when the cookies are baked, it takes longer for the butter to soften and melt, leading to the cookies spreading less. Refrigerating the dough can be the difference between thick, chewy cookies or thinner, crispier cookies.