Barefoot contessa white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

I am not a big white chocolate person. But I do make an allowance or two for this true chocolate wannabe. One such example is the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. This special cookie totally entrances me and is a favorite bakery item of my husband and oldest daughter. For years, I’ve been meaning to create a recipe for these cookies for my family (and myself!). And now, after several batches of delicious testing of these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with Sea Salt, it’s time to share the recipe!

Whenever I’ve been particularly drawn to order a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie at a bakery or coffee shop, its appearance is what first pulls me in. I like to see obvious pieces of macadamia nuts and randomly cut chunks of white chocolate bar. White chocolate chips can be substituted in a pinch in this recipe, but my preference will always be the more irregular look of a chopped bar.

I played around with batches of cookies using all butter, all shortening, and different ratios of butter and shortening. And with different-sized pieces and amounts of nuts and white chocolate. And with chilling the dough, and not chilling the dough. Rolling the dough into balls, using a cookie scoop to portion the dough, and dropping the dough by spoonfuls. Baking the cookies on ungreased cookie sheets, greased cookie sheets, and cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Yes, I was just a little bit obsessed with getting this right.

In the end, my favorite white chocolate macadamia nut cookie incorporates a combination of butter and shortening. Butter for rich, creamy, delicious flavor and delightfully crispy cookie edges. And shortening to ensure a cookie that is soft in the middle, without a wide, flat-as-a-pancake appearance.

I also found that chilling the dough for just half an hour helped to maintain the cookie’s shape. Dropped spoonfuls of dough, as irregular on top as possible, were preferred over a perfectly molded ball or cookie scoop of dough. And, finally, I liked them best baked on an ungreased sheet pan, without the use of parchment paper.

Another aspect that always gets my attention when it comes to sweet baked goods is an obvious contrast of saltiness. On top of each spoonful of cookie dough, you’ll find a beautiful little sprinkling of flaky sea salt. I love the little pops of salt in each bite of these cookies.

I definitely accomplished what I set out to achieve in this recipe for my family. These cookies are buttery and perfectly sweetened. Soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Crunchy with rich macadamia nuts, plus white chocolate that plays so well with them. And they’re finished off with awesome flecks of salty goodness. There is absolutely nothing more that I could possibly ask for!

Brenda Score is the creator of the food-focused site, a farmgirl’s dabbles, and feeding people makes her happy! Brenda believes that deliciousness is meant to be shared. Her collection of tried-and-true family recipes are combined with fun twists from the modern food world. Brenda grew up on a farm in South Dakota and has called the Twin Cities area home for more than twenty years now. She is the busy mom of two girls and the wife of an outstanding man who enjoys the backyard thrill of his grills. Together, they love to gather friends and family at the table to share an awesome meal, catch up on life, and play a few games.

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