white chocolate and macadamia cookies.

I don’t like white chocolate.  I find it to be cloyingly sweet and lacking the dimension and versatility that dark chocolate has.  Maybe it’s because my first memories of white chocolate are those Easter bunnies with crunchy oreo pieces that never tasted like much beyond sugar – but I’ve never developed a love for it.  I always imagined that as I got older my opinions would change, that I would develop a love for it in certain applications, but alas that has yet to happen. 

But recently I came across a recipe for white chocolate macadamia cookies.   The pictures of the cookies were beautiful, golden brown with a crisp exterior and a soft interior – they looked like the kind of cookie I would want to eat three or more of in one sitting.  I decided to challenge my taste buds by making them and I have to admit they were really, really good.  The perfect sweet chewy cookie and a wonderful alternative to chocolate chip cookies – a cookie I could learn to love.  

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies
Recipe From Big Girls Small Kitchens

Makes 3-4 dozen

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (you can substitute dark, but then use a little less brown sugar and slightly more white)
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 egg
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup good-quality white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix sugars and butter in a large bowl. With a mixer, hand-held beater, or very strong arm, beat until creamy, about 5 minutes. Then beat in the egg until the batter is fluffy and light.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (or bigger if that’s your style) about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until just barely set and slightly golden around the edges. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully remove to a rack or a plate to finish cooling.