Nummy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Native to Australia, scientists hypothesize in a genome sequencing study that the majority of Hawaii’s macadamia nut trees may derived from one cultivar in Queensland, Australia. Although the aboriginal peoples of Australia most likely consumed this kernel, there is no known cultivation of the macadamia nut before Walter Hill planted a specimen in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens in 1858. From Australia, macadamia nuts were introduced on the Big Island by W.H. Purvis around 1881-1885, becoming one of the island’s major exports.* Here, my nummy white chocolate cookie showcases the macadamia nut and is a variation of my recent post, addictive oatmeal combo cookies. As I swap out the cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and walnuts for the white chocolate and macadamia nuts, the result is an unforgettable cookie!
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, I use Kerrygold's
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, I use pasture raised
- 2 T. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup + 2 T. Baker's Sweetened Angel Flake Coconut
- 1 T. white or brown toasted sesame seeds
- ¾ cup roasted and salted macadamia nuts
- ¾ cup Ghirardelli's white vanilla flavored premium baking chips or other brand
- ½ t. baking soda
- ½ t. sea salt
Directions
- Step 1 Take out the butter so it’s at room temperature and preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Step 2 Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 1-3 minutes with an electric or stand mixer until the butter and sugar are light in color and fluffy. After 1-3 minutes are up, add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat. Then, spoon the applesauce into the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla mixture and stir.
- Step 3 In a second mixing bowl, measure out the oats, flour, coconut, sesame seeds, baking soda, white chocolate chips, and salt and mix. Next, coarsely chop the macadamia nuts and fold in with the oat and flour mixture in this second mixing bowl.
- Step 4 Now, spoon in the dry ingredients from step 3 (the oats, flour, coconut, seeds, baking soda, salt, nuts, and white chocolate) in with the wet ingredients from step 2 (the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and applesauce). Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Step 5 Next, grease two baking sheets and scoop out 24 (2”) balls, fitting 12 scoops per baking sheet. For a chewy cookie, check after 11 minutes, but I take mine out after 12-13 minutes. Adjust according to your oven temperature. But in general, bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is cooked, not doughy. Eat warm and enjoy!
- Step 6 Note: I bake the dough in balls for a thicker, chewier cookie. You can flatten them slightly for a crispier, thinner cookie.
These cookies are the perfect balance of the textural crunch of savory macadamia nuts, the sweet hint of creamy white chocolate chips, and the tropical touch of shredded coconut. Even though this recipe yields 2 dozen cookies, these mouthwatering morsels disappear fast in our household!
Nutritional Information: serving size: 43 g., servings per recipe: 24, calories: 189, total fat: 10.9 g., saturated fat: 5.2 g., cholesterol: 19 mg., sodium: 89 mg., total carbohydrate: 30.5 g., dietary fiber: 1.9 g., total sugars: 9.3 g., protein: 3.3 g., calcium: 27 mg., iron: 1 mg., potassium: 100 mg., magnesium: 28 mg., vitamin D: 5 IU, vitamin C: 0.1 mg., vitamin B-1: 0.2 mg., folate: 17 µg.
SOURCES:
*Nock, Catherine J., Craig M. Hardner, Juan D. Montenegro, Ainnatul A Ahmad Termizi, Satomi Hayashi, Julia Playford, David Edwards, and Jacqueline Batley. “Wild Origins of Macadamia Domestication Identified Through Intraspecific Chloroplast Genome Sequencing,” Frontier Plant Science, 21 March 2019, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00334 Accessed 4 February 2022.