Lemon white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Chewy, buttery cookies are filled with lemon zest, white chocolate chips, and crunchy macadamia nuts.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Chewy, buttery lemon cookies are filled with white chocolate chips and crunchy macadamia nuts.
Chill time: This dough requires a 30 minute chill.
Yield: 36 cookies
Similar to: Birthday Cake Cookies and Butter Pecan Cookies
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Wet ingredients - Butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla add flavor and moisture to the dough. Lemon zest can be omitted for a classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookie if desired.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt balance with the wet ingredients and add structure and lift. If you have a different type of flour on hand, search for a recipe developed for that flour to avoid wasting ingredients.
- Mix-ins - White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts add a balance of salty and sweet flavor to your cookies.
How to make cookies
- Add butter and sugars to a large bowl and use a hand mixer to beat until creamed and fluffy. Add eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gently mix into the wet ingredients. Add your mix-ins and stir to incorporate.
- Chill dough in the refrigerator, then portion onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned across the tops.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland baked goods.
Tips and tricks
Use room temperature ingredients - Room temperature ingredients mix together evenly to create a perfectly mixed dough (without streaks of unmixed ingredients). Butter should be firm to the touch, but not cold or melted.
Bring ingredients to room temperature quickly - Slice sticks of butter into small, ½ inch slivers. Small pieces warm up faster than a whole stick. Place eggs into a bowl and cover with very warm tap water. They'll come to room temperature in about ten minutes.
Roast your macadamia nuts for maximum flavor - Preheat your oven to 250F and place macadamia nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Allow your nuts to cool before adding to the dough.
Prevent spreading by lining your baking sheet - Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat instead of greasing your pan. Adding grease to a baking sheet causes cookies to spread more while baking.
Cookie scoop - Use a cookie scoop (I used a medium OXO cookie scoop for this recipe) for perfectly sized, round cookies.
More tips - For more cookie tips, check out my full post: 10 tips for baking cookies.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Chilled dough spreads less in the oven. Refrigeration also allows the flour to hydrate and flavors to meld. Even 30 minutes makes a big difference in the texture of your finished cookies. Your dough can be chilled up to a day ahead of time if desired.
Here's a great article from King Arthur Baking: Chilling Cookie Dough
Cookies won't spread in the oven if too much flour was added. If your dough looks very thick and dry at room temperature, it sounds like too much flour was measuring into the recipe. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin the dough.
Cookies can spread too much if they're baked on a greased baking sheet (instead of parchment paper), if you added melted butter instead of room temperature butter, or you didn't chill the dough. Try chilling your dough balls on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking if you find that they're spreading too much.
Baked cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. While the bread gets stale, the cookies stay soft and fresh. Replace the bread slice as needed.
Baked cookies (and cookie dough) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cookie dough can be baked from frozen by adding 1-2 minutes to your baking time. To thaw frozen baked cookies, place on the countertop to thaw for 1 hour or more.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lemon White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (114 g) chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamed and fluffy, about a minute. Add eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy, about a minute.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
- Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and stir to incorporate.
- Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating allows the flour to hydrate, flavors to meld, and creates a firmer dough that spreads less in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls.
- Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned across the tops and edges.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, you can place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Make ahead: Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Want to make classic macadamia nut cookies? Omit the lemon for a regular white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.
- Top tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Trying these tonight! Thanks