White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

With crisp edges, soft and chewy centers, plenty of white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts too, these cookies make me grin with every bite.

These are rich, sweet, nutty cookies packed with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. If you aren’t a fan of white chocolate, feel free to use your favorite chocolate instead. However, if you like white chocolate, the combination of macadamia nuts and sweet vanilla chips can’t be beat.

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Macadamia Nut Cookies

What exactly is it about macadamia nuts that makes them such a fantastic and classic addition to so many cookie recipes?

Macadamia nuts have a delicate, sweet, almost buttery flavor due to the nut’s high fat content. The nuttiness is much more subtle than other tree nuts – e.g. the more commonly used pecans and walnuts. That very subtle flavor works well to highlight the rich, creamy taste of the macadamias.

There’s something almost magical about macadamia nuts, isn’t there? (There must be, because the price for these nuts can be outrageous at times!)

I try to buy them when they’re on sale – and when they are on sale? I stock up. Macadamia nuts will keep nicely in the freezer for up to a year, so feel free to grab extra next time you catch them on sale.

And speaking of sales, if you happen to find salted vs unsalted nuts on sale, don’t hesitate to buy them – unless you absolutely hate a salted dessert. Personally, I like the bit of extra salt that it adds.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

butter
light brown sugar
white sugar
egg
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour *
baking soda
kosher salt
macadamia nuts
white chocolate chips

See the note in the recipe card for gluten-free ingredient alternatives .

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.

Add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat to combine.

Stir in the chocolate and the nuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment and then use a medium size scoop (about 2 tablespoon size) to place dough onto the baking sheet. Roll into balls with your hands.

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Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove from the oven when the cookies are just barely browned at the edges. They should be slightly puffed, but still soft. If desired, sprinkle the warm cookies with Maldon salt .

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

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Cookies with Nuts

The chewiness of pudding cookies and the decadence of toffee and chocolate create a decadent treat in Toffee Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies . This is an easy cookie recipe that’s perfect with each and every bite.

Walnut Cookies are tender buttery sweet cookies with a center of chewy brown sugar, walnut, and sour cream filling. These are brown sugar drop cookies and that brown sugar and butter combination makes the perfect cookie base for the chewy nutty filling.

Buttery, nutty cookies are topped with the sweet jam of your choice in these simple, gluten free Pecan Thumbprint Cookies .

The velvety sweetness of chocolate mingles with the nutty goodness of walnuts in these Chocolate Decadence Cookies . Paired with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk, these cookies are pure and indulgent chocolate bliss.

Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that taste fantastic and also happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan? Oh yeah, it’s possible.

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ ½ cup butter
▢ ½ cup light brown sugar
▢ ⅓ cup white sugar
▢ 1 egg
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
▢ 1½ cups all-purpose flour *
▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
▢ 1 cup white chocolate chips

* Gluten-Free Alternative

▢ ½ cups brown rice flour
▢ 1 cup tapioca starch
▢ ⅓ cup potato starch

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.
Add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat to combine.
Stir in the chocolate and the nuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment and then use a medium size scoop (about 2 tablespoon size) to place dough onto the baking sheet. Roll into balls with your hands.
Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove from the oven when the cookies are just barely browned at the edges. They should be slightly puffed, but still soft. If desired, sprinkle the warm cookies with Maldon salt .
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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{originally published 5/27/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/29/24}

Buttery, nutty cookies are topped with the sweet jam of your choice in these simple, gluten free Pecan Thumbprint Cookies.

Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

I’ve been making thumbprint cookies for as long as I’ve been baking. From the classic peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s kisses, to every kind of jam and jelly-filled goodie you can think of. They inevitably remind me of Christmas.

These pecan thumbprint cookies are rolled in crushed nuts before baking, adding an irresistible nutty crunch to these cookies. This recipe is very gently adapted from these vegan cookies on my friend Gina’s blog.

This recipe has become a tradition for us over the past couple of years, as it gets absolute RAVE reviews from my friends who avoid both gluten and dairy. It was past time to save the recipe here for future baking, but all credit goes to Gina for the original awesomeness.

It’s always fun to make thumbprint cookies with kids, as we all get to use our favorite jams. My nieces opted for strawberry or raspberry jam this time. While apricot jam is almost always my preference. We all win.

gluten free, jam-filled pecan thumbprint cookies are arrayed on a white plate. - 13

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies

Yes, you’re reading this correctly. There is no flour in this recipe. These cookies are gluten-free and positively delicious, made with almond and coconut flours.

If you’re looking for a few more naturally gluten-free dessert options, I’ve got your dessert needs covered for any occasion. From sweet snacking and cookie munching to an elegant (and EASY TO MAKE) dessert, it’s all right here .

pecan pieces and other ingredients are visible in a glass mixing bowl. - 14

Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

pecans
almond flour and coconut flour
kosher salt and baking powder
coconut oil
maple syrup
apple cider vinegar
vanilla extract and almond extract
jam of your choice

Just a note about almond and coconut flours. My first choice for almond flour is Honeyville’s ultra fine blanched almond flour , the only way I’ve ever purchased it is directly from their website.

Specialty flours keep perfectly in the freezer. You’ll want to make sure you’re storing any nut flours that way to avoid spoiling. And if you’re looking for an easier purchase option, Wholesome Yum makes my second favorite almond flour .

I haven’t found coconut flour to be nearly as fussy, so Wholesome Yum or Bob’s Red Mill will both work nicely. If you do much specialty baking at all, it’s often worth purchasing several bags at a time for a significant discount on the price.

balls of dough on a white parchment paper, with pieces of pecans visible in the mix. - 15

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place chopped pecans in a shallow bowl. Set aside.

Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Stir until a dough forms.

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Scoop the dough into balls and roll them smooth between your hands. Roll each dough ball in the chopped pecans, pressing gently to make them stick.

Place on a baking sheet and gently press down in the center of each cookie, using your thumb to create an indent. Pinch together any large cracks around the outside. Spoon jam into the center of each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges start to brown just slightly. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will be soft initially, but will firm up as they cool.

The jam has been added to the thumbprint cookies on the baking sheet in this vertical image. - 17

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Turtle Cookies are crisp and chocolatey with plenty of chewy caramel in each bite. These Chocolate Chip Cookies are 100% vegan and delicious. Dairy-free, egg-free, and they can even be made gluten-free, too!

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these chewy, chocolate and peanut butter filled Peanut Butter Cookie Cups ! These simple cookies are a crowd pleaser whether or not you choose to make them with added chocolate.

These chewy, dense, cookies are an unforgettable memory from my childhood. 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic; just an egg, a cup of peanut butter, and a cup of sugar.

gluten free, jam-filled pecan thumbprint cookies are arrayed on a white serving dish over a colorful tea towel. - 18

Crunchy, chewy, sweet, and nutty, these Italian Almond Cookies are one of the best things to come out of my kitchen. And, chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies are the irresistible to any coconut lover, grab a mixing bowl and get started.

Almost 20 years ago, I was handed one of the most delicious cookies I had ever tasted. The Pignoli Cookie is unique in flavor and texture; completely unlike anything I had tasted before.

Light, buttery, almond flavored Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies have been the most requested cookie I make for almost as long as I can remember. I was given this cookie recipe years ago and it became a forever favorite at first bite.