White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These my friends, are just a pain ol’ classic cookie studded with sweet white chocolate and salty roasted macadamia nuts. It’s probably the sweet and salty combo that forces me to eat the whole batch of these every time I make them– I. Just. Can’t. Stop. This recipe has withstood the test of time and still stands to be in my top 5 cookie recipes of all time, regardless of how many different cookies I’ve made in my lifetime. It’s a keeper I tell ya, and it makes some of the best cookie dough known to mankind.

I busted out this recipe last week as I had the opportunity to send out a few dozen cookies to some blogging friends for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and I’m so glad that I had an excuse to buy macadamia nuts for something! Apparently this pregnant mama needs more macadamia nuts in her life because I almost polished them off before the cookie baking began. It was nearly tragic. Deliciously, totally-worth-it, tragic. But alas! I conquered and cut myself off just in time.

I show you this first picture strictly to show you how my kitchen NEVER looks when I’m baking. On this particular day my 3 year old layed herself down for a nap moments earlier and I had just got done doing a total kitchen deep clean. Weird things were already happening so when I saw how neat and tidy my little work space was, I had to take a picture to hopefully engrave its image upon my soul so I could recreate it.

Like most drop cookie recipes, this one is pretty simple: cream the butter, sugar, vanilla (use the real stuff for these, please? The vanilla is what makes them soooo good) and salt together until is combined and slightly fluffy.

Add in a few eggs, scraping the bowl between additions to make sure it’s mixing well.

Mix in some flour and baking soda…

And add in whatever additions you like.

Today we’re using white chocolate chips and a good helping of chopped macadamia nuts. Why do these things have to be so good?

Scoop by rounded tablespoons (my cookie scoop is about 1 1/2 tbsp) onto a greased or lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes or until the edges and highest tips of the cookie are just golden brown and the middles are mostly set. I know 7-10 minutes is a big gap but all ovens are different and the magic of these cookies comes when they are cooked perfectly. For your first batch I would start watching them at 6 minutes and take them out when you think they are good.

For more info on next year’s cookie swap, click here!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Serves 4 dozen, 2-3" cookies     adjust servings

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Ingredients

• 1 C butter, softened
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp REAL vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 C All-Purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1, 12oz bag white chocolate chips
• 1 C chopped roasted and salted macadamia nuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and salt until well combined and slightly fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition. Mix well.
4. Stir in flour and baking soda and mix until no dry spots remain.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
6. Scoop by rounded tablespoons onto a lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Do not over-bake. Cookies are done when the edges and highest peaks of the cookie are golden brown and the middle just set.
7. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

by Heather Cheney

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