Kate and I are in sunny Orlando right now, so I thought a little taste of the tropics would be appropriate today! White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are one of my favorites and I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect recipe for a long time now. I recently saw a photo on our friend Tessa’s blog that caught my eye; they looked so amazing. I was about to make them, but the moment I saw the recipe I realized that I already knew it. In fact I had it memorized- it was the dough from my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (duh, why didn’t I start there a long time ago?!) So I started out planning to just toss in some white chips and macadamia nuts but decided to take it a different direction when I saw the limes on my counter. And now? I might have a new favorite cookie.
Let’s bake.
One of the things I love about these cookies is that you don’t have to worry about softening butter, just nuke it! But make sure you don’t rush things and stir it in hot- if you do, your dough will be really soft and you’ll wonder what’s wrong, and then you’ll think it needs more flour, so you’ll add some, and then you’ll complain my recipe sucks, and I’ll tell you it doesn’t and it’s actually your fault and then we’ll have to bake each other cookies to make up. You get the picture, right? Cool the butter down.
Combine some brown and white sugars
and then pour in your melted butter and stir it up. Nice and gooey…make sure to at least stick your finger in there once. Twice if no one is looking.
Add one whole egg and one egg yolk plus a giant splash of vanilla.
And after those are mixed in, stir in the dry ingredients.
Now come the secret ingredients- first, macadamia nuts. I toast them to bring out the flavor and enhance the texture. Just pop them in the oven you’ve already preheated and let them cook until they’re golden brown. You can see toasted nuts below on the left, and untoasted on the right:
Generally I just toss coconut in my cookies, but I decided since I was already toasting, may as well toast the coconut. You can do it either way; I think un-toasted adds a little more chew, and toasted adds texture.
And then finally, some fresh lime zest. I happen to looooove lime zest so I put quite a bit in. Feel free to play around with that, but at least add a nice big tablespoon or you won’t taste much of it. I used at least 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Toss all that fun stuff in the dough along with some white chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough balls onto parchment lined cookie sheets and pop them in the oven.
Make sure you keep an eye on these cookies so you don’t overbake them. The edges should be set, and the centers puffed up, but the middles should look a little undercooked still. Let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Funny- I just noticed I used a zested lime in my photo. You’d think I would have noticed that. I was probably too busy trying not to eat the cookies I was supposed to be photographing.
Anyway… you get creamy chocolate, buttery macadamia nuts, sweet and tangy citrus, and a little crunchy coconut chew- all in one bite. They’re divine.
Enjoy a little piece of heaven.
Recipe by ourbestbites.com
2 cups flour, spooned lightly into measuring cups and leveled with knife
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled until luke warm
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
1 cup coconut (toasted or untoasted)
1 cup toasted macadamia nuts
1 1/2-2 tablespoons grated lime zest (1-2 limes)
If you haven’t melted your butter yet, do that so it has time to cool off.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients;mix until combined.
Add white chocolate chips, coconut, macadamia nuts, and lime zest. Mix to distribute.
Scoop cookie dough into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set around outer edges, yet centers are still soft and puffy, and appear slightly under-baked, about 9-10 minutes (all ovens are different, keep an eye on them!) Cool cookies on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Questions & Reviews
Guess what song is bouncing around in my head now?
“She put the lime in the coconut, she drank them both up
She put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up…”
Perhaps this cookie could relieve her belly ache. Ah, you’re probably too young to even know this song.
Have a great time with your presentation tomorrow! You’ll do grrrrreat!
I love macadamia nut cookies!
Oh, no! It’s 87 degrees here in San Diego; too hot to be baking. You’re killing me! I will be trying these when it cools down a little!
Oh, I want these right NOW!
I bet the lime really makes these taste fresh and ready for summer!
I now want to go to town so I can get the stuff to make these, they look and sound great!
My new sunday cookie recipe this week! YAY!! Can’t wait to see you saturday morning at Time Out For Women!!!
OH MAN!!! I think adding the lime zest is brilliant! My favorite cookies just got better. 🙂
Welcome to Orlando. In the 80s here. Enjoy your time. I’ll be baking your cookies while you’re being a tourist!
These look delicious – I am most definitely giving these a try this weekend! Spring is just beginning to arrive here and what better way to celebrate than white chocolate, coconut and lime?? (I can’t believe I just said that…me being a die-hard dark chocolate girl and all. An Easter miracle perhaps?) 🙂
OK…so like everything else you ladies do – these look FABULOUS!! Keep it up!!
I am usually not a white chocolate/macadamia nut kind of girl, but for some reason this recipe has haunted me all morning! I finally broke down and went to the store to buy ingredients, which is SO not me to be such an impulse baker. Anyway, I am cooking them right now, and between the toasted macadamias, toasted coconut, and lime zest my house smells A.MAZ.ING! I can’t wait to try these! Anyway, thanks for a delicious recipe!
These sound so good – I just wish I was a bigger fan of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! Maybe if I chopped up the nuts…. And it’s not even that I don’t like macadamia nuts! The combination has just never been a favorite. I’ll have to think about a little tweak because the fresh lime zest and toasted coconut in it sounds divine! Have fun in Florida! 🙂
I just used coconut oil for the first time last time I made chocolate chip cookies, I bet it would be great here too subbed for the butter or part of the butter. Keeps the cookies nice and chewy even after they cool.
Just had to let you gals know how much I love your blog! I hadn’t stumbled across it until my mother-in-law gave me your cookbook for Christmas. I can honestly say that I haven’t made anything that I didn’t find there or on the site since January. Teeny-bit obsessed. Cookies with lime-zest? Wouldn’t have tried it if I didn’t know you can be trusted. But of course they were delicious. 🙂
Wow, these look amazing. How ingenious you are! I have to limit myself to baking only once a week (usually on the weekend) because I will eat way too much of whatever I make. These may very well be this weekend’s treat. Thanks!
Do you have a tutorial or instructions on how to toast coconut? I’ve never done it before but I agree, it seems like it would add so much to the cookies!!
These look and sound amazing! I love lime! And coconut! And all that other cookie goodness, too! Thanks!
White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my ALL TIME favorite. These look phenomenal! I will have to try them.
WOW! I might have a new favorite cookie too!
Ohhh! You are speakin’ my language! LIMES…COCONUT!! Those are two of my favorite things on Earth! Thanks!
Alejandro Ispani, 12 tablespoons of butter is one and a half sticks or 3/4 cup. Hope that helps.
I love the tropical twist to an already delicious cookie. The creativity of the two of you never ceases to amaze me. I may have discovered your cookbook before my daughter, Vendy, but I’m so glad she told me about your wonderful place here!
12 tablespoon of butter? can you give that in some other measure please? grams? ounces? thanks!
It is the same as 1 1/2 sticks of butter OR 6 ounces OR 170 grams.
a stick and half or 12oz
I can’t wait to make these. These are my ABSOLUTE favorite cookie-and the bonus–my kids don’t like macadamia nuts. I will definetly have to hide these from myself. Thanks so much!!
I am so excited about these! I will for sure be making these this weekend. I love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and I’ve tried to make them on several occasions, but the recipes never have quite the right flavor I’m looking for. You two always seem to have just what I’m looking for! You guys are the best! Enjoy Orlando 🙂
Oh my gosh, are you serious? These look SO amazing. Thanks!
These cookies look amazing and sound perfect for beautiful spring-like weather. I cannot wait to try them.
This looks delicious and refreshing! 🙂
Holy cow! I love you!! I have been eating a tub of fundraiser white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie dough for the past couple days. When it finally runs out, I can instead make these yummilicious things!!! Yeah!!!