Best White Chocolate Chip Cookies

White chocolate and macadamia nuts are the cookie pairing the 1990s got right. The buttery, almost coconut-like richness of the macadamias plays perfectly with the milky sweetness of white chocolate, and a slightly underbaked center keeps both ingredients soft and creamy in the finished cookie.

The trick this recipe pulls is using chopped white chocolate from a bar instead of bagged chips. Chips contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting cleanly, while chopped chunks soften into glossy pockets when the cookies bake. Two extra tablespoons of butter beyond the standard cookie ratio give the dough a richer mouthfeel and the edges a deeper golden color.

Low-and-slow baking at the moderate temperature keeps the cookies pale and tender instead of crisp.

Pro Tips

• Toast the macadamia nuts in a dry skillet for 4 to 5 minutes before chopping. Untoasted nuts taste oily and waxy; toasted ones bring out a deep buttery flavor.
• Chop the white chocolate from a quality bar (Ghirardelli, Lindt, Callebaut). The cheaper baking bars contain more vegetable oil and less cocoa butter.
• Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies when the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They finish on the hot pan.
• Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop for uniform shapes that bake evenly.
• Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring (the recipe says it). The cookies are too soft to lift cleanly straight from the oven.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of orange zest with the vanilla for a brighter, more sophisticated flavor.
• Swap half the white chocolate for chopped dark chocolate for a marbled, less-sweet cookie.
• Use pecans or hazelnuts in place of macadamias if you can’t find them or want something more affordable.