Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies

As promised on Instagram, I am posting this cookie.  I’d forgotten how delicious they were.  Probably my most favorite non chocolate cookie.  Just the smell of the batter is intoxicating 🙂

I cannot find a link to this recipe, even on Mauna Loa’s site.  But at one time, this recipe was on the back of the package of Muana Loa Macadamia Baking Pieces Dry Roasted.  I haven’t seen them in the store in ages and believe they are not available anymore.  Maybe on the internet but I try not to go that route.  So instead of the baking pieces I bought dry roasted macadamias, not salted and chopped them myself.  But they are super expensive.  $6 for 4 ounces in Stop N Shop   So make them for someone special.  My husband suggesting substituting cashews but I have not tried that.  Let me know if you do.  Also about chopping them:  macadamia nuts are very soft.  I tried to use my immersion blender chopper but the pieces chopped up way too fine.  I ended up chopping them by hand (I used a very old gadget thing that I have).  But you can also just use a knife and cutting board.

Also they require white chocolate chips.  I had forgotten that I had done a taste test on white chocolate chips awhile ago.  I bought some Nestle ones instead of my usual Ghirardelli and the Nestle were awful.  Even though they have cocoa butter in them.  Ghirardelli does not have any cocoa butter so you would think the Nestle would be better but they are not.  So get the Ghirardelli white chips.

I have some tried and true tips for baking cookies that I may have interspersed in my various cookie recipes but thought I would present them all here:

Use the best ingredients you can afford.

I never use unsalted butter on anything, including cookies, even if the recipe asks for it.  I also do not change the amount of salt in the recipe.  I can’t taste any different.  In researching this, the manufacturer uses very little salt in salted butter.  My butter choice is Land O Lakes but I also will use Trader Joe’s.

Mix your butter and sugars until light and fluffy, this may take 5-10 minutes.  This is new for me but now I use this step all the time.  Then add the eggs one at a time, etc.

When you are all done mixing with the paddle, take a minute to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.

I use shiny rimmed baking sheets for baking my cookies.  I do not put anything on them, no canola spray and no parchment (Unless I am making a Stella Parks recipe).  Make sure your baking sheets are shiny.  Dark baking sheets equals brown/burnt cookies.

I err on the side of underdone baking of cookies rather than overdone baking.  They will probably cook a little more while resting on the cookie sheet.  And you will have a crispy edge, soft center cookie if you slightly under bake.

Make sure your cookie sheet is very cold before putting on more cookies to bake.  When I take the cookies off the cookie sheet to cool on a cookie rack, I take the cookie sheet and put it in the sink and run cold water on the front and back.  Then dry thoroughly and put your next batch of cookies on.  Never put cookies on a warm cookie sheet.  They will start to melt and thus will not cook properly.

I think that’s everything.

Have fun baking!! 🙂

Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies from the back of Mauna Loa Macadamia Baking Pieces Dry Roasted

1 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour, all purpose

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces Ghirardelli White Chips

6 ounces Macadamia Nuts, dry roasted, no salt, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy about 5-10 minutes.  Add eggs (one at a time) and vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Add flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix until almost all incorporated then add chips and nuts and mix until incorporated.  Remove from mixer and with a rubber spatula make sure everything is mixed.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls or use the purple cookie scoop onto ungreased rimmed cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 12 – 13 minutes (bake for 8 minutes and then turn cookie sheet around, bake for 4-5 minutes more).

Cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove cookies onto cooling rack.

The original package of Macadamia’s and the recipe on on the back:

what I needed to buy instead:

my favorite white chocolate chip:

mise en place:

chopping the macadamia nuts with my very old chopper:

hand chopped macadamias combined with the too finely chopped ones:

butter and sugars creamed:

complete batter:

ready to bake with backups ready:

out of the oven: