White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

A ⅓-cup scoop per cookie. That’s the size that gives these white chocolate macadamia cookies their bakery presence. Thick rounds with golden, crispy edges and soft, gooey centers loaded with melty white chocolate chunks and buttery macadamia halves.

The dual-sugar approach (white and packed brown) creates the ideal texture. White sugar crisps the edges while brown sugar keeps the center chewy and adds a molasses undertone that pairs well with the sweet white chocolate.

Mixing until “just combined” after adding the flour is the instruction that separates a tender cookie from a tough one. Overmixing develops gluten, and gluten makes cookies that snap instead of bend.

These freeze well for up to 3 weeks, or keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 4 days.

Chef Tips

• Use chopped white chocolate bars, not white chocolate chips. Bars have cocoa butter that melts into creamy pools. Chips contain stabilizers that hold their shape and don’t melt the same way.
• Halve the macadamia nuts instead of chopping them. Larger pieces stay crunchy and visible in every cookie.
• Let cookies cool on the sheet for a full 3 minutes. They’re fragile straight from the oven and break easily.
• Space the dough 2 inches apart. These are large cookies and they spread during baking.

Variations

• Dark chocolate drizzle: Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the cooled cookies for visual contrast and a bittersweet edge.
• Toasted coconut: Add shredded toasted coconut with the macadamias for a tropical combination.