A classic cookie with a flair for decadence — these white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies are made with browned butter, toasted macadamia nuts, premium white chocolate, all topped off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
One of the things that I gave up for Lent this year has been eating raw cookie dough.
It has been exactly one week since the start of Lent, and I can safely say that this has been a terrible decision, and is bound to be one of the most brutal experiences of my existence
I also may have a tendency for hyperbole at the moment, but please forgive me as my rationality has begun to slowly decay as I watch scoop after scoop of cookie dough slide on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets past my face and into the oven without me having sampled so much as a morsel.
It’s been tough, but fortunately baked cookies are not on my Lenten do-not-eat list, and so a freshly baked cookie is totally game. And these white chocolate macadamia nuts, made with browned butter are irresistibly and perfectly made, which makes the experience a bit more bearable.
I’ve been slightly obsessed with baking with brown butter recently. If you haven’t made brown butter before, it’s a simple technique to master that, once done, elevates your cookie dough to the ultimate level of gourmet cookie-ness.
Essentially, it’s just a matter of melting and “toasting” your butter in a saucepan until it begins to turn brown.
By browning it, you enhance the butter flavor in your cookie dough and add a slightly nutty flavor as well. If you’ve never tried this technique before it’s not terribly difficult and even an amateur baker can manage it so long as you follow the instructions I’ve provided in the recipe below.
Browning butter does require a little more effort, but Macadamia nuts aren’t cheap, so if you’re going to spend your hard earned dollars on them, they deserve taking the time to bake them into seriously gourmet cookies.
The final product is decadently buttery. Nutty. Enhanced with a subtle toasted flavor. Complete with slightly crisp, wrinkly edges and soft centers.
Make them with premium white chocolate chips (not the plastic-y generic ones, mind you) that melt in your mouth, rationed out just enough as to not be overwhelming or over-sweet. My first experience with these cookies was like biting into a mouthful of sweet white chocolate flavored plastic and deterred me from white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for quite a while… these white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies definitely make up for that experience while still incorporating enough white chocolate to keep them true to their name.
Enjoy, and sample some of the cookie dough for me, would you?
Editor’s note (OK, it’s just me again, hi): The author of this post cannot be held responsible for any E.Coli/Salmonella/severe weight gain etc. as a result of eating raw cookie dough — please consume at your own risk.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226g
- 1 cup brown sugar 200g
- 2/3 cup white sugar 135g
- 2 eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 350g
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch cornflour in UK
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups premium white chocolate chips 255g
- 1 cup Macadamia nut pieces 125g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut your butter into Tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat.
To Brown the Butter (It's easy, I promise!)
- Once butter has melted, increase heat to just above medium heat.
- Swirl and scrape the sides of the pan frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula - the butter will bubble and pop. Once the bubbling/popping slows, the butter will begin to turn brown, it will look like this once it's finished:
- Watch the butter very carefully at this point, and once it begins to brown and you smell the nutty aroma of browned butter, remove from heat quickly and pour into a large, heatproof bowl.
- Allow butter to cool for 25-30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Cookie Dough
- Add sugars into cooled browned butter, stir well.
- Stir in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Add vanilla extract and stir.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until ingredients are nearly completely combined.
- Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nut pieces and stir until ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Drop by heaping, rounded 1 1/2-Tbsp scoops onto prepared cookie sheets, placing at least 2" apart.
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 10-11 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown (cookies should still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, and may even appear slightly underbaked in center).
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking pan for about 3 minutes and then use a spatula to gently scoop beneath them and carefully wiggle them free from the parchment paper, as the toffee tends to stick.
- Allow to cool several more minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
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(this is nearly the same cookie dough base as the recipe above!)
Caron says
These cookies are terrific!! I made them for my husband’s birthday as they are his favorite. I had never browned butter before but it was easy and you can tell it makes a difference in the taste! I’ve tried several of your cookie recipes, everyone who eats them loves them! I always check your site first now for cookie recipes! Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Caron! Browned butter makes so all the difference, right?!!! I am so glad that your husband enjoyed his birthday cookies. I appreciate you visiting my site and trying my recipes. I am so glad you enjoy them. Happy Holidays. 🙂