These bakery style white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are impressively large with gooey centres and crispy edges. Filled with decadent chunks of white chocolate and macadamia nuts, these easy homemade cookies are sure to rival any coffee shop, plus they're gluten-free!
These gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are so decadent, they rival your favourite coffee shop treat. Jam-packed with white chocolate puddles and chunks of macadamia nut, these giant buttery cookies are soft and chewy in the middle with delicious crispy edges.
The white chocolate macadamia nut cookie was my favourite at Starbucks for years, until I had to go gluten-free of course. There's just something so special about a jumbo bakery style cookie that you don't normally get at home. But not anymore!
These homemade gluten-free bakery style white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are going to be your new go-to treat. They'd be perfect as a gift, when you're entertaining, or of course for yourself when you have the craving. Want all the details for the perfect bakery style cookie, gluten-free? Keep on reading!
Looking for more gluten-free desserts? Check out some of these:
- Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Super Fudgy Dairy-Free Brownies
- Gluten-Free Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Butter Tarts
- Dairy-Free Tiramisu Jars
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Bakery quality. These giant cookies are filled with pools of white chocolate and chunks of macadamia nuts. This recipe makes only 8 cookies, so they're the size you'd find at a cute little cafe. This makes them super chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Quick and easy to make. Mixing the dough together takes just a few minutes! Then half an hour of chill time, and they bake. You could have delicious white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in just 1 hour.
- Looks super impressive. These cookies are giant, so they are super impressive. Your friends and family will think you picked these up from a bakery!
Ingredients Needed
Here is everything you'll need to make these gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies:
- Salted butter: Ensure the butter is soft yet still cool. Add an extra ¼ teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted butter.
- Brown sugar
- White sugar: The combination of both sugars ensures these cookies develop crispy edges, while staying moist in the centre.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances all other flavours in these cookies.
- Egg: Keep the egg cold until you add it to the dough. This will keep the dough cool and help the cookies hold their shape.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum: I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag).
- Baking powder
- Baking soda: The use of both leaveners ensure the perfect crinkly, soft, and crispy cookie.
- Salt: Add an extra ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter. If your macadamia nuts are not already salted, add an extra pinch as well.
- White chocolate chunks: I like to chop about 1 ½ white chocolate bars for these cookies. You certainly could use white chocolate chips for these cookies, but I find chopped chocolate melts so much better, resulting in ooey gooey bites. I used Lindt Swiss classic white chocolate.
- Roasted and salted macadamia nuts: The most common way I've found macadamia nuts in the store is roasted and salted. This recipe is designed to work with these nuts and is not overly salty. If you are using raw macadamia nuts, I recommend toasting them at 350ºF for approximately 10 minutes, keeping an eye on them. Allow to cool and roughly chop. Add an extra pinch of salt if desired.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
(1) Use a mixer with beaters or the paddle attachment to beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. If you don't have an electric mixer, use a wooden spoon or your hands to ensure the sugars get dissolved in the butter.
(2) Beat in the vanilla extract and egg, switching to a whisk if you are doing this by hand.
(3) & (4) Place the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl. Lightly stir them together on top, then gently mix together until there are no dry spots. The dough will be fairly thick.
Save 8 large pieces of white chocolate for topping the cookies. Fold in the remaining chopped white chocolate and macadamia nuts until thoroughly combined.
(5) & (6) Divide the dough into 8 balls, each about ⅓ cup of dough (100g). Place on a small parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Place a large piece of white chocolate on the top of each ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Halfway through the chill time, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
(7) Place the dough balls on 1-2 large parchment-lined baking sheets. Make sure there is room between them for the cookies to spread. Gently push the balls down slightly to encourage spreading. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges are lightly coloured and the centres are still a little soft.
For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they have set slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy warm or allow to come to room temperature.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Storage Instructions: Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Reheat for 10 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Freezing Instructions: Cookies will freeze well. Wrap cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Customizations
Although a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie wouldn't really be a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie if you swapped out the ingredients, here are a few suggestions if you're looking to make some substitutions:
- Dairy-free: Changing the butter for a dairy-free stick of butter is relatively simple these days. The white chocolate may be slightly more challenging. No Whey is an option that is gluten-free and dairy-free. ichoc makes a vegan white chocolate, but notes it may contain traces of gluten.
- Nut-free: Although the nuts are a big part of these cookies, you could swap them out for some chopped candies or seeds. Or just omit for a white chocolate chunk cookie!
- Change the chocolate: Milk, dark, or flavoured chocolate would also be great in here. Toffee or candy bits too.
- Change the nuts: You could try roasted hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.
- Make smaller cookies: Make 16 smaller cookies instead of 8 jumbo cookies. Note that the bake time may be shorter. Check the cookies around 7-8 minutes.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies:
- If roasted and salted macadamia nuts is all you can find, buy them! That's all I could find at my store, so I developed this recipe around roasted and salted nuts. Macadamia nuts are sometimes hard to come by in Canada. If you can find raw ones, see my note in the recipe card below about roasting them yourself.
- Ensure the butter is softened but still cool. Keeping the dough relatively cool will help achieve the thick bakery-style cookie.
- Roughly chop the chocolate and nuts. Large chunks provide melty chocolate puddles and good nut crunch in the cookies. The textures are part of what make these cookies so great.
- Form the cookie dough balls before refrigerating. The dough will be easier to shape and work with prior to chilling.
- Press the cookie dough balls slightly before baking to encourage some spreading. We still want these cookies to be thick, but we want them to be nice and even.
- Shape them right out of the oven. For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! That's all I could find at my store, so I developed this recipe around roasted and salted nuts. Macadamia nuts are sometimes hard to come by in Canada. If you can find raw ones, see my note in the recipe card below about roasting them yourself.
Yes, but it may be tricky. Changing the butter for a dairy-free stick of butter is relatively simple these days. The white chocolate may be slightly more challenging. No Whey is an option that is gluten-free and dairy-free. ichoc makes a vegan white chocolate, but notes it may contain traces of gluten.
Chilling the cookie dough will help achieve the classic soft-in-the-middle, yet crispy-on-the-edges bakery style texture. Trust me it's worth it! Plus it's only 30 minutes in the fridge.
Make 16 smaller cookies instead of 8 jumbo cookies. Note that the bake time may be shorter. Check the cookies around 7-8 minutes.
Cookies will freeze well. Wrap cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
These gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies will rival any coffee shop! They're thick, chewy, and filled with crunchy chunks. Not to mention these cookies are super easy to make, and ultra impressive. Your friends and family will devour these giant cookies, and never question that they are gluten-free.
Have you made these gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies? Be sure to leave a comment telling me how much you loved them, and tag me on instagram @livglutenfree. I hope you enjoy as much as I do!
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Recipe
Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, softened add an extra ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg cold
- 1⅔ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt add an extra ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
- 1 cup white chocolate chunks about 150g or 1.5 bars
- ⅔ cup roasted and salted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped *see note below
Instructions
- Use a mixer with beaters or the paddle attachment to beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. If you don't have an electric mixer, use a wooden spoon or your hands to ensure the sugars get dissolved in the butter.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and egg, switching to a whisk if you are doing this by hand.
- Place the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl. Lightly stir them together on top, then gently mix together until there are no dry spots. The dough will be fairly thick. Save 8 large pieces of white chocolate for topping the cookies. Fold in the remaining chopped white chocolate and macadamia nuts until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls, each about ⅓ cup of dough (100g). Place on a small parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Place a large piece of white chocolate on the top of each ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Halfway through the chill time, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Place the dough balls on 1-2 large parchment-lined baking sheets. Make sure there is room between them for the cookies to spread. Gently push the balls down slightly to encourage spreading. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges are lightly coloured and the centres are still a little soft. For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they have set slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy warm or allow to come to room temperature.
Deanna says
Made these for friends who aren’t gluten free as they were a hit. It was nice to enjoy something and also have my guests enjoy them too! Will definitely be making these again
Olivia Parsons says
Thanks for your review, Deanna! I'm so happy you and your friends enjoyed these cookies. They're one of my family's favourites too!