salted white chocolate macadamia cookies
Soft and buttery salted white chocolate macadamia cookies filled with chunks of sweet white chocolate and golden macadamias are a cookie dream! With plenty of flaky salt and a soft brown sugar cookie dough, these are classic white chocolate macadamia cookies, reinvented.
Creamy white chocolate chunks and buttery rich macadamia nuts make for one sensational cookie; ample salt and a splash of dark rum keeps the sweetness in check. Clearly cookies are my favorite food group!
The Best White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
White Chocolate – Use a high quality white chocolate for these cookies. I love Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bars. For perfect chocolate chunks, use a serrated knife to chop the chocolate.
Macadamia Nuts – Roasted and salted macadamia nuts add mega flavor to these cookies!
Dark Rum and Vanilla – A splash of dark rum and pure vanilla extract add rich flavor to the brown sugar cookie dough.
Flaky Salt – A generous shower of flaky salt is the perfect finish to these cookies (and balances the sweet white chocolate!).
Chill the Dough – Chill this cookie dough for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before baking. The chill time intensifies the flavor and ensures that the cookies don’t overspread.
Make Ahead – These cookies can be made ahead for whenever a cookie craving strikes! Simply scoop the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer the dough balls to an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Salted White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hr 40 min (includes chilling)
- Yield: 32 cookies
Description
Soft and buttery salted white chocolate macadamia cookies filled with chunks of sweet white chocolate and golden macadamias are a cookie dream!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp dark rum
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
Topping
- 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy; beat in egg, egg yolk, rum, and vanilla until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Fold in macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (If cookie dough has chilled overnight, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Top with white chocolate, pressing gently to adhere.
- Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 13-14 minutes, until edges are golden and set. Sprinkle cookies with flaky salt and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Make Ahead: Scoop the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with white chocolate chunks. Freeze for 1 hour, then transfer the dough balls to an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Keywords: White Chocolate, Macadamia, Sea Salt, Cookies
Craving more cookies?
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Brownie Cookies
Graham Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Espresso Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Mmmm…the sweet and salty combination is lip-smacking inviting. Yum with the dark rum add. Delicious pairing, Laura!
Laura, love these cookies. . and totally hear you on sometimes only white chocolate chips will do! and yes! cookies are my 3rd favorite food group! Fruits and veggies being #1 and #2! 😛
These look delicious, Laura! I’ve never been of fan of white chocolate macadamia cookies for the reasons you described in your post… but these look amazing. Love! 🙂
I’m slowly reintroducing myself to white chocolate, too. These cookies look fabulous!!
White chocolate + macadamia = heaven!
White chocolate/macadamia is one of my favourite cookies. Can’t wait to try this one!
I, on the other hand, can call myself a white chocolate girl—and these cookies look just my style!
Yummy! My hubby was just saying how much he love macadamia cookies. I love the addition of salt, too. Pinned this recipe!
These kind of remind me of a tropical cookie, LOVE IT!
I know a lot of people don’t like white chocolate but I LOVE it! Especially when the sweetness is tempered by salt or tart flavours 😀
These cookies would suit me down to the ground. I love everything you’ve done here and look forward to chowing down myself.
Completely agree about the whole sweet white chocolate thing! These look delicious and perfectly salty sweet!
On the other hand I am a white chocolate freak! I love the stuff and these cookies should be with me 🙂
I grew up eating so many white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, but as I grew up I started to loathe them. Just like you, they always fell short. I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe to cure my separation anxiety with my favorite childhood cookies and these look PERFECT. Pinning these for later!
I am wholeheartedly a dark chocolate girl but you may have convinced me to try these – they look delicious!
White chocolate and macadamia nuts are always a perfect pair!
Oh my – you had me at “salted” then you added the macadamia and white chocolate – this is a dream cookie!!!! Hope you are doing well!
Cookies with rum are always the BEST ones!!
Huge cookie fan here. Loving these gorgeous white choc mac cookies!
Now you’ve got me in the mood for cookies, Laura! Sometimes I find white chocolate to be too sweet….but I bet it’s perfect in your brown sugar cookie dough. They look awesome!
I’m not huge into white chocolate either, but it’s perfect for this recipe!
These look so decadent! Must save the recipe for when I finish my no sugar diet!
This cookie recipe looks and sound delicious. I must notify my sister about it, because she is a lover of both white chocolate and macadamia nuts.
I have one question though. I do not like rum, at all. I don’t have any on hand, never use/consume it. Is there anything you would suggest as a substitute? Or should I just delete it?
Hi Shirley, thank you! You can omit the rum entirely, and increase the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply.
Homemade cookies are always better than store bought! These salted white chocolate macadamia cookies look fabulous!
I’m excited to try this recipe! I just wanted to ask how long they keep? And also, if they freeze well.
Thanks Jeanie! These cookies keep 4-5 days in an airtight container. They also freeze very well (I love stocking the freezer with homemade cookies). 🙂 Happy baking!
I made these cookies the other day and let them set over night. They are really, really tasty! I was out of light brown sugar and used dark brown and they were still amazing. Loved the idea of adding rum and salt. What a great twist! They were buttery and chewy – so delightful!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, thank you Shannon! 🙂
These are now my favourite cookie recipe!! I made them earlier this week and everyone I shared them with have raved about how good they are!!I got impatient and cooked them after only 2 hrs in fridge.. I cooked in two batches and the 2nd batch accidentally got cooked at 210•C (410•F) thank god I checked them after 10 mins.. they were crunchy but actually turned out to be my favourite ❤️❤️❤️
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Courtney! 🙂