Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
This recipe for gluten free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies is made easily in one bowl, without creaming the butter first. The result is a rich and buttery, thick and chunky, chewy cookie with just enough crispness on the edges.
Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 7 ounces raw macadamia nut pieces
- 2 ¼ cups [315 g]all purpose gluten free flour I used Better Batter
- 1 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup [150 g] granulated sugar
- ¾ cup [164 g] packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons [112 g] unsalted butter at room temperature (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 eggs 100 g, weighed out of shell at room temperature, beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 7 ounces white chocolate chunks chips or pieces
Instructions
- First, toast the nuts. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, and place the macadamia nut pieces on it in an even layer. If your macadamia nuts are whole, roughly chop them first. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and toast the nuts for 5 minutes, shake the pan to redistribute the nuts, and then toast them again for another 5 minutes or just until they begin to become lightly golden brown and are fragrant. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the nuts aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, granulated sugar and light brown sugar, and whisk to combine well, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla, and mix well to combine. The dough will be thick, and is best mixed using the back of a large mixing spoon, and kneading the dough together with clean hands as necessary. Do not add any water. Once the macadamia nuts are cool to the touch, add them and the white chocolate to the cookie dough, and mix until the pieces are evenly distributed throughout.
- Shape & bake the cookies. Line a new rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, and drop 2-teaspoonsful pieces of dough on the baking sheet. In between clean palms, roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and place it in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set in the center, very lightly golden brown all over, and golden brown on the edges. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Originally published on the blog in 2012. Photos, video, and most text new. Recipe clarified but otherwise unchanged.
Notes
Butter: Make sure your butter is at proper “room temperature.” It should give a bit when you try to press your fingertip into it, but it shouldn’t feel greasy.
If your butter softens very quickly, either naturally or because you zap it in the microwave to soften it, it may be too soft. Try dicing the butter and allowing it to sit at room temperature for much less time to soften.
If you need to replace the butter, try vegan butter (but not Earth Balance buttery sticks, which will melt too fast and make flat cookies). If you have to eliminate dairy but can’t find dairy free white chocolate, try using a different sort of chip.
Eggs: Two “chia eggs” might work here.