These gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies have chewy centers and crispy edges. They have a perfect balance of creamy sweet white chocolate chips and buttery macadamia nuts in every bite!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are a popular choice in coffee shops and sandwich shops. Enjoy these same flavors in gluten-free cookies!
And if you love chocolate chip cookies (and who doesn't?) try these varieties, too!
- Gluten-free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: classic chocolate chip cookies.
- Chewy Gluten-free Coffee Cookies: with hints of espresso in every bite!
- Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies: a soft cookie made with ripe bananas.
- Gluten-free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies: These are grain-free!
- Keto Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: Grain-free with rich almond butter.
- Gluten-free Pumpkin Cookies with Pecans and Chocolate Chips: divine!
- Cranberry Pecan White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: a favorite Christmas cookie.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with quantities in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe for macadamia nut cookies, here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- salted butter, softened to room temperature
- brown sugar: adds moisture and a rich caramel flavor and keeps the centers soft and chewy.
- granulated sugar: helps to give those crispy edges we love in cookies!
- a large egg: (at room temperature) helps to bind the dough together.
- pure maple syrup: adds natural sweetness, moisture and flavor.
- pure vanilla extract: adds a subtle vanilla flavor that complements the white chocolate.
- gluten-free flour blend: For baking cookies and cakes, I prefer Cup4Cup gluten-free flour blend over other brands. I've also made this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. If you don't need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can substitute all-purpose flour.
- sea salt or Kosher salt: brings out the sweetness in these cookies.
- baking soda: gives the cookies a little lift.
- raw macadamia nuts: coarsely chopped. These add a crunchy element to the cookies and they pair beautifully with white chocolate!
- white chocolate chips: Check the ingredients to make sure they are gluten-free. You can use white chocolate chunks instead.
🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step directions to make this recipe perfectly. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Fold in mix-ins: Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the dough (optional): For best results, you can refrigerate the cookie dough for about 30 - 60 minutes. Chilling the dough helps the flour to absorb the flour absorb liquid, resulting in a thicker, sturdier cookie that won't crumble.
- Form cookies: Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls or use a medium cookie scoop to do so. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and press down gently with the heel of your hand. Press a few reserved white chocolate chips into each cookie.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes then remove from the oven, bang the baking pan on the counter top 3 to 5 times to help flatten the cookies to make the edges crispy. Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for 2 to 3 minutes. until golden brown. The centers may still look slightly soft, but they will firm up as they cool. Don't overbake.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Once cooled, serve and enjoy your gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies!
🔁 Possible Variations
Make these into large bakery-style cookies instead! Use a large cookie scoop. Scoop cookie dough balls about three tablespoons each onto the cookie sheet, being sure to space them well apart.
For smaller cookies, as shown in the photos, use a medium cookie scoop and make balls with about one tablespoon of dough.
You can also substitute other flavors of chocolate chips like butterscotch chips.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Measure the flour accurately. Use the scoop and level method for measuring gluten-free flour. Gently stir the flour, then use a spoon to slightly overfill the measuring cup. Use the back of a knife to scrape away the excess flour, so the flour is level with the top of the measuring cup.
Use the pan-banging method for cookies with soft and chewy centers and crisp edges. Bake the cookies for 9 minutes, then wearing oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven, and bang it sharply on the countertop 5 to 7 times until the cookies collapse slightly. Return the baking pan to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more, then repeat the pan-banging once or twice. The cookies will be very soft.
Let the cookies cool on the pan to crispen up, then cool completely on a wire rack.
⏰ Storage Instructions
To store: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies taste even better after a day or two!
Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
🗒 More gluten-free cookies and bars
- Mini Egg Oatmeal Cookie Bars - Gluten-Free
- Gluten-Free Cherry Pie Crumble Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Collagen Bars
- Quick Gluten-Free Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
🌟Did you make this recipe?
When you make this white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour blend * see note
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add the egg, maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat on low until combined.
- Gently stir in the chopped nuts and white chocolate chips (save a few to press on top of the cookies before baking.)
- Chill the dough for about an hour.
- Let the dough come to room temperature. Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to mound the cookie batter on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press a few white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie so they will show once baked.
- Bake for 9 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, bang it firmly on the counter 5 to 7 times to help flatten the cookies, then return the sheet to the oven to continue baking for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove, and bang it again a few times to help flatten the cookies a little more. Pan-banging results in cookies with slightly chewy centers and crispy edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze in an airtight container for 3 months.
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