These small batch white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my #1 dream cookie. Like, I could eat them every single day. They have creamy white chocolate chips, toasty macadamia nuts, and brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor. And this recipe makes just 6 perfectly-thick and chewy cookies. They're the best!
When I was a kid, if your cookie of choice was white chocolate macadamia nut, you were different. Mysterious. Intriguing. Or maybe I'm just telling myself that because it was my cookie of choice.
Of course now, cookies are filled with all kinds of good things like miso and lavender and tahini. But WCMN was the height of creativity in the early 2000s when most kid's go-to treat was a chocolate chip cookie or a good snickerdoodle. But like a real pick me, I had *adventurous* tastes.
To this day, I cannot get enough of anything studded with creamy, buttery macadamia nuts. When I was in pastry school, I created all kinds of variations with everything from coconut to lime zest to brown butter. But today, we're keeping it classic, thicc, and packed with all the good stuff. Plus, this recipe makes just 6 cookies, bless it.
Salted vs. unsalted macadamia nuts
I tested this recipe with both unsalted and salted macadamia nuts. Either will work! But if you use salted, you may want to reduce the salt in the cookie dough just a bit so it doesn't get too crazy.
Just make sure the macadamia nuts are roasted for a nice toasty flavor! If they're raw, I recommend toasting them before adding them to the cookie dough.
How to bake this recipe
Try not to over-bake these cookies or the edges will get too crisp. They're ready when the cookies have set edges but still looked a little under-baked in the centers!
Chill time
Unlike many of my other small batch cookie recipes, this one uses a mix of brown sugar and white sugar for chewy cookies with lightly crisp edges. But the addition of white sugar means that the cookies tend to spread more! To keep this from happening, you'll want to chill the dough for at least 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the fridge.
Store & freeze the dough
To store leftover cookies, just pop them in an airtight container & store at room temp for up to 3 days. Or, cover them with a layer of parchment paper & freeze for up to 3 months.
To freeze the dough, start by freezing the cookie dough balls until they're solid, about 2 hours. Pop them in a parchment-lined airtight container or zipper bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
When it comes to small batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. Just a small amount of flour can make or break an entire recipe. But if you don't have a scale, use the fluff, spoon, & level method to measure flour, cocoa, & other dry ingredients. Here is a whole guide on how I measure ingredients for small batch baking!
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The Best Small Batch White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 60 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled (¼ cup)
- 52 grams brown sugar, light or dark (¼ cup, packed)
- 25 grams granulated sugar (2 Tablespoons)
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 60 grams all purpose flour (½ cup)
- 10 grams cornstarch (1 Tablespoon)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 50 grams white chocolate chips (¼ cup)
- 35 grams roughly chopped macadamia nuts, roasted & unsalted (¼ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside for later.
- Combine the cooled, melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture is light and thick, about 1-2 minutes. Then, whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dough is about 90% combined. Then, add the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and continue folding the dough just until everything is well-mixed and there are no more streaks of flour. Don't over-mix the dough!
- Using a #20 cookie scoop (~3 Tablespoons), divide the dough into 6 balls. Line the cookie dough balls on the prepared sheet pan about 3 inches apart. Freeze the cookie dough balls for about 15 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the dough is well-chilled.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit under-done. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pan and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think!