White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

One of my favorite cookies is the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Here in DC Macadamia Nuts are quite expensive so I have never picked them up. That all changed last Thursday when I went into the local giant and they had Macadamia Nuts on sale. Granted they were salted, but they still were extremely cheap.

As you can see, the cookies are jam packed with chocolate and nuts.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – (Adapted from the Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from the Art & Soul of Baking)

1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened (12tbs) –
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz white chocolate chips
3/4 cup (3.5 oz) macadamia nuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar with a mixer. Beat until smooth. Scrape the sides.

Next turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the eggs one at a time. When the eggs are incorporated, add the the vanilla and continue beating for a couple of seconds.

Next in a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. The whisking will airate the flour making it so that you don’t have to sift it.

Whisking is easier than having to sift the ingreadients

Next pour the whole flour mixture into the mixer and beat on low until all of the flour is incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the sides with a spatula.

Now add the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts to the mixer. Beat on low for a couple of seconds, or until the chocolate and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

2nd Annual Middletown, DE Barbeque Cook-Off!

At this point you should chill the batter for 10-20 minutes in the fridge. A cold batter will spread out less and give you a cookie with a nice thick center. Or, you can take some wax paper and create cookie logs. I like this method as you can roll the cookies into a uniform thickness, then cut with a knife for perfect cookies. To do this divide you batter in half and place each one on a sheet of wax paper.

Next fold one edge over the cookie batter and pull back. Almost like making sushi. Then roll the batter into a log. Next twist the ends and you are set. Place in a freezer for at least 20 minutes to stiffen up before cutting. The cool part about this is that you can leave them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just pull them out about 20 minutes before you want to bake them to let them thaw before cutting.

Roll into a tight log and twist the ends until the shape is uniform

When you are ready to make cookies take the batter out of the oven, and cut into uniform pieces.

Next place in the preheated oven for 12-16 minutes based on the thickness of your cookies. If the cookies came from the freezer after being frozen solid, you need to add a couple of more minutes. I usually rotate the pan halfway through as my oven has some hot spots. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan. I find the cookies cool faster if you elevate the pan on either a cooling rack or a couple of cans of veggies from the pantry.

I like to let them cool on the pan as I always break them if I move them while they are hot.

Now it is time to eat.

A side note

If all you can find is salted Macadamia Nuts. Rinse them under cold water to remove the salt.

Rinse with cold water to remove the salt

Then place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast them in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes until they are dry and starting to turn a bit brown.