Best Ever White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe (2024)

Do you want the Best Ever White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe?? They are my FAVORITE cookies, and I make them almost weekly, soft and chewy, yet crunchy from texture.

Some may claim to have the Best Ever White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe, but in my opinion, it’s right here. I’ve taken and tweaked a handful of recipes over the years, and though I don’t claim to be a huge “recipe developer” this one is my baby.

I know lots of people like to claim all over Pinterest that they have THE.BEST.COOKIE.EVER. recipe, but theirs simply can’t be, because mine is. The base is delicious with a unique twist, and any type of chips can be substituted. This one is the official Best Ever White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe.

Here are some varying ways you can make the cookies:

• substitute white chocolate for semi sweet, milk, butterscotch
• omit the nuts
• add M&M’s
• double the batch!

It’s the cookie base that is truly my fave.

It’s got a secret ingredient, that I shall share. I seriously make a variationof these cookies nearly every Sunday, and have done so for the past 2 years. Why have I never shared them before? Well, they started off as someone else’s, but I’ve tweaked and prodded the recipe over the years, that I think I can officially call it MY favorite to share. I introduce to you….my favorite baked treat!

{This post originally shared August 2015, updated June 2015}

Let me give you a little scenario of a typical baking session. I LOVE white chocolate the best, and my kids and husband don’t love it so much. I generally split the batter in half, with white chips in one bowl and milk chips in another bowl. I roll out their cookies into balls, and roll out half of my cookies into balls, while hoarding away a quarter of the white chocolate chip cookie dough in a container in the fridge for myself to enjoy in sporadic increments over the next 24 hours…if it lasts that long. The good and not so good of myself being the only one liking which chocolate chips is…well…you know. Only I am eating it.

Something magical and not so magical happened during this last baking session when I added the macadamia nuts. My oldest declared these very cookies, “the best cookies he’s ever had in his entire life.” Even though I was the baker and should have been completely satisfied with that sentiment, I was hurt for all of those other delicious cookies that I’ve created in the past. They deserve some love, too.

I was equally shocked to hear this because:

1. they had white chocolate chips
2. they don’t generally care for ANY nuts in their treats. What gives?

I don’t know, but this combo, and love for this batch of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies was loved by all family members, even the previous white chocolate haters.

The only thing that was different from this batch besides the nuts, is the butter.

I’ve failed many attempts at cookies over the years, and have found the key to success in the butter. I generally don’t think hours in advance to pull out the butter to sit ’til it hits room temperature. I pull out a cold cube, cut it up into 8-10 pieces, and let it sit, or nuke it for 10 seconds ’til it softens. I’ll also often refrigerate the cookie dough. I did not do that this time.

I had set out a cube the night before, for toast (it’s kept on the counter always) and it was untouched, so I figured I’d use it for the cookies and replace it with a new one later. This is the only thing I did different, and it did seem to offer a perfect plump-ness to the cookie. (I also cooked it a touch longer than normal, I often prefer partially cooked cookies, just like the cookie dough).

BUT, that isn’t actually the secret ingredient to make my most favorite cookies.

The secret is….almond extract instead of vanilla!

Oh almond flavor, how I love thee. I first realized my love for you with the Fudgy Vanilla Brownie (white texas sheet cake).

The flavor is so subtle, yet so divine.

Here is the simple recipe:

Go ahead and make them and let me know if you agree that this is the Best Ever White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe.

A few other favorite cookies:

• 5 Ingredient Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
• Cinnamon Chip Cake Batter Cookies
• Gluten Free Butterscotch Soft Batch Cookies