White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – Gluten Free!
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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft baked cookies made with sweet white chocolate chips and crunchy pieces of macadamia nuts, gluten free and ready in under 20 minutes!
I am a cookie fiend, ESPECIALLY during the holidays! And right now, my kitchen is full of my favorite gluten free cookies, like my Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, and Gluten Free Sugar Cookies!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – Gluten Free!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are my absolute favorite gluten free cookie because they’re slightly crispy, slightly chewy, and you cannot tell that these are gluten free! They’re perfect to give away as gifts for the holidays (cookie swap, anyone?), or to make for your next party. I use a combination of brown and white sugar here to bring the sweetness and a slight molasses flavor.
I also use a combination of butter and shortening, so you get the perfect drop that doesn’t go too flat, making the cookie chewy. And you also get that great buttery flavor that you look for in the perfect cookie! Not to mention the sweet pieces of white chocolate, along with the crunchy macadamia nuts!
These are drop cookies. And what that means is that you “drop” the dough in balls onto the cookie sheet, and they will “drop” into their shape once they are baking in the oven. Don’t worry if your cookie balls aren’t perfect, they will take care of themselves. But using a cookie scoop is the trick to making sure they are all about the same size.
Can you freeze white chocolate macadamia nut cookies?
Yes! I love to make big batches of cookies and freeze them. This is perfect for when you know you’re going to be busy, but still want to put out some great holiday cookies. Wrap them tightly in an airtight container, so your cookies don’t get freezer burn!
Why are my cookies hard?
If your white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are hard, it usually comes down to measuring the ingredients. Either too much butter, or too little flour.
Make sure you are using dry measuring cups, not the ones made for fluid ounces. Also try to use something flat (like a knife) to level your measuring cups when measuring out the dry ingredients. If you’re still having issues, I would look at what gluten free flour blend you are using. I use a cup-for-cup blend, and I recommend making these cookies with a similar one.
This will help your cookies come out consistent every time!
How do you make cookies chewy?
If you want chewier white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, first make sure you are not over-baking them. You want to pull them out of the oven when they are just turning golden brown.
Next, you can try using all brown sugar for this recipe, or replacing some of the white sugar with molasses. Remember that molasses also imparts some flavor. You can also try replacing the butter with the same amount of shortening.
Tips for How to Make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Refrigerating the dough is optional, but I highly recommend it. It makes the butter go back to solid form in the dough, so when you bake the cookie has a chance to cook while the butter is melting, making the perfect drop. If you don’t refrigerate your dough, you will end up with slightly flatter and more crispy cookies.
- You can use this recipe for any combination of chocolate and nuts. Try chocolate chips and chopped almonds, pistachios, or walnuts. You can also try dried fruit like cherries or cranberries.
- Add as little or as much white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts as you’d like.
- How many cookies you get depends on how big you make your cookies. I use a smaller sized ice cream scoop and end up with about two dozen cookies.
- You can roll the dough tightly with plastic wrap and freeze it for later. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before you’re ready to use it.
- Make sure your baking powder says “double acting” on the front. This helps the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies stay chewy and keeps them from flattening out too much!
- I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt that goes into the cookies. Unsalted butter can be inconsistent from batch to batch. But I also know some people who swear by it for sweets, so this is a personal preference. If you use salted butter, I wouldn’t add any more salt in the recipe.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
- Breakfast Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
- Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Flourless Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
- Simple Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Gluten Free Gingerbread Men Cookies
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Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder, double acting
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream together butter, shortening, and white sugar. Then add brown sugar and vanilla extract until well combined. While mixing, add eggs one at a time until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder). Slowly add flour to butter and sugar, mixing until everything is added and cookie dough forms. Fold in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
- Refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. Scoop dough in 1-2 inch balls onto baking sheet. Leave a few inches of space between each one. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies have dropped and are beginning to turn golden brown on the edges.
Notes
Nutrition
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Great recipe, I used KIng Arthur Flour GF Measure for Measure and instead of macadamia nuts, I used Salted Peanuts because that’s what I had on hand. I used the metric calc system . I love ❤️ this recipe! They turned soft and sweet with the right amount of salt for my taste. I refrigerated for 1 hour. Thanks again for a great recipe!