For these chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies I used semi-sweet chocolate, salted and roasted macadamia nuts and a pinch of sea salt. These cookies are absolutely delicious straight from the oven, but also excellent chilled to room temperature. They are soft, chewy and full of chocolate with a rich and deep flavor.
What makes a great Cookie Recipe?
Cookies should be easy to make and you should be able to change the recipe to make any kind of cookie recipe you want. Well, that’ s exactly what this recipe does: nuts, chocolate and sea salt can be exchanged for different chocolate, nuts, dried fruits or whatever you have in mind. Be creative and give it a try.
What kind of Chocolate to use?
You shouldn’t skimp on chocolate. It really makes a difference whether you buy the store brand or use high quality chocolate. I use belgian chocolate of the brand Callebaut.
Tools & Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- 2 silicone baking mats
- Medium bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Macadamia Nuts: if you do not like macadamia nuts, you can take other nuts such as pecans. There is no need to use roasted and salted nuts, if you prefer unsalted or unroasted ones. In case you do not like nuts at all, you can leave them out completely, adding them is optional.
Cookie Dough: the dough needs to chill before baking so that the cookies do not spread too much. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. You can make the cookie dough up to 4 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before processing.
Baking Sheet: do not place the dough balls on a warm baking sheet, instead let the sheet cool down between batches. Otherwise the dough will spread too fast. It is best to use at least 2 baking sheets, this makes it easier and minimizes the time of waiting.
Silicone Baking Mat: if you don’t have a baking mat you can use parchment paper instead without any problems.
Directions – How to Make Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies
Weigh all your ingredients.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until fluffy and light in color.
Mix in egg and vanilla extract and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and add slowly to the wet ingredients on low speed until combined.
Add the chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and mix until well distributed. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 days.
Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 177°C / 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats. The dough will be slightly crumbly, but by rolling it into single balls, it will come together. Roll balls about 35g of dough each and place on the baking sheets about 7cm / 3-inches apart. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. The centers will be soft. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional: press a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies when you remove them from the oven. They will melt directly into the cookie and make it look extra beautiful.
Storage: You can keep the cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months. In case you do not want to bake the entire dough at once, you can freeze the single balls in a zip-lock bag for up to 3 months. No need to thaw the frozen cookie dough balls, just bake them for an extra minute.
My Summary for Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: the cookies taste very chocolaty and buttery. The combo with salted macadamia nuts and sea salt on top gives you a great balance between sweet and salty.
Texture: in the center these cookies are extremely soft and chewy, around the edges a little crunchy. If you like this kind of cookies, you will love them!
PROS: it is easy to make these cookies. As I mentioned above, this recipe is perfect for so many varieties of cookies, because you have the basic ingredients and you can easily replace the rest according to your own preferences.
CONS: none.
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