Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies! Chewy on the outside with a buttery soft-baked center, packed with salted macadamia nuts and loads of white chocolate chips.

My gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies have been a family favorite cookie for years! It was the first cookie recipe I ever made my husband, and he's been hooked since. Back then the recipe was not gluten-free, but with my health changes throughout the years I slowly but surely crafted an even better recipe than the original. What makes these cookies so great? This gluten-free version has my secret ingredient, brown butter! Adding the brown butter to the recipe was simply a game-changer, producing a buttery caramel-like flavor, which goes so well with the salty-sweet combination.

What is brown butter? Brown butter is simply melted butter gently cooked over a stovetop on low heat until slightly brown in color. The brown bits in the butter are caramelized milk solids, giving the butter a nutty caramel-like flavor. The brown better helps make an ultra chewy cookie with crisp edges.

WHAT MAKES A DELICIOUS COOKIE? THESE WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES HAVE: 

• Soft-baked center with crisp edges
• Packed with loads of nuts and chips in every bite
• Chilling time less than 2 hours
• The perfect cookie to make year-round

HOW TO MAKE BROWN BUTTER

Making brown butter is super simple to make, and is one of the key ingredients in this recipe.

You will need:

• 1 stick of butter
• light coated frying pan to better see when the butter browns
• wooden spoon

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a light-coated frying pan on low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
2. Watch closely as the butter begins to melt. Within 2-3 minutes the butter will begin to foam and the milk solids will begin to carmelize producing a nutty aroma and chestnut color.
3. Once the color starts to change to a golden brown color, quickly remove the butter from the heat. There is a short window between burnt butter and brown butter, so make sure to watch closely.
4. Pour the brown butter into a glass container.
5. Make sure to scrape all of the little brown bits into the glass container, this is where the flavor comes from.

INGREDIENTS IN WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

This is a great recipe, using simple ingredients. Easy to make in under 2 hours total time!

• Unsalted Butter: Browning the butter gives these cookies the best flavor!
• Milk: Just one tablespoon of milk will help give the cookies a nice golden color, and replaces some of the moister lost when browning the butter.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Although you could use light brown sugar, dark brown sugar is preferred. You'll notice the recipe calls for more dark brown sugar than white sugar. Dark brown sugar has a delicious molasses flavor and helps keep the cookies moist.
• Sugar: Helps sweeten the cookies
• Egg: One large egg at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality vanilla extract for best results
• Almond Extract: Just a small pinch makes all the difference.
• Gluten-Free Flour: I like to use Bob Mills 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour for this recipe.
• Almond Flour: This helps soften the cookies.
• Baking Soda: Helps the cookies to rise.
• Salt: Brings flavor.
• White Chocolate Chips: My favorite brand is Guittard's White Chocolate Chips.
• Macadamia Nuts: Salted crunchy macadamia nuts complement the sweet white chocolate.

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

This easy recipe produces the most delicious cookies you will ever make!

1. Whisk together the measured gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a medium-sized frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously as the butter begins to foam. Once the butter changes to a toasty brown color, quickly remove the pan from the heat and pour the brown butter into a large glass mixing bowl, making sure to scrape out all of the toasted butter. Add 1 tablespoon of milk to the brown butter and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the dark brown sugar, sugar, and brown butter. Mix for 1 minute. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Cream for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
4. Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture at medium speed, continuing to mix until well combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Cover the dough with aluminum foil and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
6. Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough into cookie dough balls (about 1.5 tbsp of dough per cookie) and place each ball of dough a few inches apart on the baking sheet. (You can also measure 30-35 grams of dough on a food scale, roll the dough into a ball and place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet.) Bake for 10 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
7. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
8. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

TIPS FOR THE BEST COOKIES

• Do not skip chilling the dough before baking, this helps the cookies from spreading.
• Do not pack the flour! Weighing the flour and almond flour on a food scale instead of using a measuring cup offers more precision and better results.
• Add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract. A very little goes a long way but it pairs so well with the white chocolate.
• Salted dry roasted macadamia nuts give the best salt to sweet ratio.
• Choose premium sweet white chocolate chips. My favorite is Guittard's Gourmet White Chocolate Baking Chips, which has a creamy vanilla flavor.
• Use dark brown sugar instead of light, as it provides both a rich flavor and softens the texture of the cookie. You could also try coconut sugar.

DAIRY-FREE & NUT FREE

• I have substituted coconut oil and Vegan Butter Earth Balance Butter Sticks for those needing a dairy-free option with good results.
• Nestle Toll House has vegan white chocolate chips, that are free of the top-8 allergens.
• For nut allergies, you could replace the almond flour with 4 tablespoons of gluten-free flour, and leave out the macadamia nuts.

FOR MORE TASTY GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE RECIPES, CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW

• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• Oatmeal Scotchies (Gluten-Free)
• Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• Chocolate Mint Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Recipe Author : Rebecca Taig

Diet :Gluten Free

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies! Chewy on the outside with a buttery soft-baked center, packed with salted macadamia nuts and loads of white chocolate chips.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 18 cookies

Calories 202 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

Wet Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk
• ▢ ¾ cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional

Dry Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ cup gluten-free flour, (204g)
• ▢ ¼ cup almond flour (25g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients to Fold In

• ▢ ¾ cup white chocolate chips
• ▢ ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts, salted chopped

Instructions

 

• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the measured gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium-sized frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously as the butter begins to foam. Once the butter changes to a toasty brown color, quickly remove the pan from the heat and pour the brown butter into a large glass mixing bowl, making sure to scrape out all of the toasted butter. Add 1 tablespoon of milk to the brown butter and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the dark brown sugar, sugar, and brown butter. Mix together for 1 minute. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Cream for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
• At medium speed, slowly pour the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, continuing to mix until well combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Cover the dough with aluminum foil and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
• Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough into cookie dough balls (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place each ball of dough a few inches apart on the baking sheet. (You can also measure 35-40 grams of dough on a food scale, roll the dough into a ball and place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet.) Bake for 10 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
• Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 173IUCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

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