Classic for a reason, these thin and chewy white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are made in one bowl, don’t need chilling, and bake up perfectly every time.
Photography by Alexandra Daum.
Ultra thin and chewy, with a barely crisp edge, these are the ultimate white chocolate macadamia cookies. They’re copycat Subway cookies, with the perfect caramel flavour from plenty of brown sugar and a to-die-for texture.
Sweet white chocolate and creamy macadamia nuts are a match made in heaven, and these cookies show them off to best advantage! They’re packed with chocolate and nuts and the add-ins really shine when the cookies are thin like these are.
This recipe makes lots of cookies, so it’s ideal for holiday gifting or freezing for later. If you have multiple baking sheets, get them out for this one!
Prefer dark chocolate? Try our one-bowl chocolate chunk cookies!
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Recommended Tools
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- Flour: plain white all-purpose flour.
- Butter: salted. It should be soft, at room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: regular, but dark brown sugar can also be used.
- Eggs: large, at room temperature.
- Vanilla: pure extract for the best flavour.
- Baking soda and salt
- White Chocolate: use one you like the taste of as is, or sub chips.
- Macadamia Nuts: no need to chop – you want those bigger pieces.
Keep scrolling to see clear and detailed process shots, as well as tips and notes to help you make White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies perfectly the first time!
Method
TOP TIPS
1. Low and slow. These are baked for a little longer and at a lower temperature, for really chewy, thin cookies.
2. Leave some larger chunks of chocolate. You want the chocolate to stand up to the nuts, and some bigger pieces make all the difference in terms of texture.
3. Don’t over mix. Use the electric mixer on the lowest speed when adding the flour and mix until just combined. Too much, and you’ll have tough cookies.
Recipe Notes
- The baking temperature is lower than normal – this isn’t a typo! It should be low, so that the cookies are extra chewy and don’t brown much.
- Chilling isn’t necessary, but you can chill the dough if you want to bake the cookies later. Simply cover the mixing bowl well and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. It will need to warm back up slightly before scooping and baking, but just for 10 minutes or so.
- Use an extra large cookie cutter or jar to round out the cookies when they’re fresh out of the oven. When still very hot, simply swirl it around the baked cookies to even out any odd edges.
- If you want really crispy white chocolate cookies, bake for 16 minutes rather than 12-14. You’ll end up with old-fashioned snappy, crisp cookies.
How to Store and Freeze Macadamia Cookies
- To Store: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Place in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Individual cookies taste great right from the freezer!
Substitutions and Variations
- If preferred, use white chocolate chips instead of chunks.
- The macadamia nuts we use are roasted and salted. Raw works perfectly well, but salted provide a nice counterpoint to the sweet cookies.
- To make these dairy free, use a good vegan butter and white chocolate.
FAQ
If you get raw nuts, it doesn’t hurt to roast them before adding to cookies! While most macadamia nuts are sold roasted and salted, if you find them raw, toast them for 10 minutes at 300°F (150°C), stirring if needed, and cool before adding to the cookie dough.
We recommend that you don’t, as the bigger pieces are excellent in these thin cookies. They’ll usually already be halved when you buy them, and that’s plenty small enough.
Yes! Scoop onto a lined baking sheet, then freeze right on the sheet. Once frozen, store the dough balls in an airtight container in the freezer and then bake from frozen. Add an extra 2 minutes to the baking time.
More White Chocolate Recipes
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread with White Chocolate
White Chocolate Mousse
Coconut White Chocolate Truffles
White Chocolate Ice Cream
Blueberry White Chocolate Scones
Recipe
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Description
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer use whisk attachment
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- ¾ cup soft butter
- 1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose white flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup chopped white chocolate
- ¾ cup macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachments to beat on high speed, for at least 3-4 minutes, or until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on the lowest speed until just mixed. A few streaks of flour are fine.
- Add the white chocolate and macadamia nuts, and fold in by hand with a spatula to evenly incorporate.
- Scoop even balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 tablespoons each. Leave about 6cm (2 in.) between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are just firm. The cookies won't darken significantly.
- Cool fully on the baking sheets before removing and storing.
- Repeat until all of the cookie dough has been used up.
- Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or up to a week in the refrigerator. These can be frozen to up to three months.
Notes
- The baking temperature is lower than normal – this isn’t a typo! It should be low, so that the cookies are extra chewy and don’t brown much.
- Chilling isn’t necessary, but you can chill the dough if you want to bake the cookies later. Simply cover the mixing bowl well and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. It will need to warm back up slightly before scooping and baking, but just for 10 minutes or so.
- Use an extra large cookie cutter or jar to round out the cookies when they’re fresh out of the oven. When still very hot, simply swirl it around the baked cookies to even out any odd edges.
- If you want really crispy white chocolate cookies, bake for 16 minutes rather than 12-14. You’ll end up with old-fashioned snappy, crisp cookies.
Substitutions
- If preferred, use white chocolate chips instead of chunks.
- The macadamia nuts we use are roasted and salted. Raw works perfectly well, but salted provide a nice counterpoint to the sweet cookies.
- To make these dairy free, use a good vegan butter and white chocolate.
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