I bake these at a slightly higher temperature to get those edges crispy while keeping the centers soft.

Chilling the dough is an option.

I have mentioned before that I am a lazy baker who appreciates shortcuts. I am also impatient and don't like to wait for my cookies! Chilling the dough is a nuisance, and these cookies are pretty good without chilling. Having said that, however, I did find that the cookies baked immediately had more of a granular sugary texture than the cookies that chilled for an hour or more. Chilling allows the sugars to dissolve and incorporate more fully. If you have the time, chilling won't hurt.

Take the time to brown the butter.

This step does add a fair amount of time to the cookie making process. Brown the butter, and then chill it so it regains a solid texture. You can leave it at room temperature to cool, or speed up the process in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. If you use warm browned butter without any chilling, your cookies will spread.

Place sticks of butter in a medium pan. You want the sides high enough that the butter won't splatter out and make a mess. Cook the butter over medium high heat, swirling occasionally. The butter will foam, and brown solids will start to form. When I see bits of brown forming I turn off the heat and continue to swirl the pan. The residual heat will continue to brown the butter. I stop browning earlier than some bakers because I don't want bitter butter (any former thespians out there thinking of Betty Botter?). Anyhow, you want a golden brown color and a nutty scent.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - Just Desserts Bakehouse

Name: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: PT-489045H26M28S
Total time: PT-489045H26M28S
Cuisine: dessert
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, browned*; 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 eggs plus one egg yolk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 cups flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt*; 1 cup white chocolate chips; 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Print Recipe

Browned butter enhances this cookie packed with white chocolate and chunks of macadamia nuts.

Author: Darla McVay
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes plus browning
Total Time: 35 minutes plus chilling
Yield: 20-24 cookies 1x
Category: cookies
Cuisine: dessert

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup butter, browned*

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs plus one egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt*

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with parchment

In a medium saucepan, cook butter over medium high heat, swirling the pan occasionally as the butter melts. Cook the butter until foamy, browned solids have formed, and the butter has a rich, nutty aroma. Allow the butter to cool completely before proceeding.

Once butter has cooled, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Mix until fluffy. Add the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix to combine. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Finally, add the white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Consider chilling the dough for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours*.

Scoop the cookie dough into even portions and place on the prepared cookie sheet leaving a few inches between the cookies to allow for any spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven when edges have become golden and the centers are just set. Do not over bake. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to bake on the baking sheet.

Notes

Browning the butter is optional, but recommended. If you choose to omit this step simply place the two sticks of butter into the mixing bowl and combine with the sugars.

I used lightly salted macadamia nuts in this recipe and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt was adequate. If you use unsalted nuts you may want to up the kosher salt to closer to 1 teaspoon.

Chilling the dough is optional, but yields favorable results.

Keywords: browned butter, white chocolate, macadamia nut, cookies

Find it online: https://justdessertsbakehouse.com/white-chocolate-macadamia-nut-cookies/