White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – seriously the BEST! The secret ingredient makes all the difference! Everyone raves about these cookies!! Butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple butter, macadamia nuts, and white chocolate chips. Can make ahead of time and freeze cookie dough balls for a quick treat later.
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Pin This RecipeWhite Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies made with Apple Butter
These White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes. And this is my FAVORITE recipe for them. This recipe is different than most; it uses apple butter and cinnamon. It gives the cookies SO much flavor!! The cookies have wonderful crisp edges, perfectly chewy centers, and are Dangerously delicious! You MUST give this recipe a try ASAP!
How to Make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
This cookie recipe is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together unsalted butter and shortening. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in apple butter, white chocolate chips, and chopped macadamia nuts. Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Place cookies on a wire rack and cool completely.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- Why use shortening? Shortening makes the cookies crumbly, flaky, and tender. Shortening is 100 percent fat as opposed to butter and lard, which are about 80 percent fat. Using shortening results in especially tender cakes, cookies, and pie crusts.
- Can I substitute butter? You can, but it will change the texture of the cookies.
- I make the cookie dough in an electric stand mixer. You can mix the dough in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- One cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4.25-ounces. To properly measure flour, give the flour a stir or whisk to loosen it up in the container. Use a spoon and lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Use a flat straight edge (like the straight back of a knife) to level off the top of the flour in the measuring cup. Do NOT compact the flour in the measuring cup.
- Can Chocolate Chip Cookies be frozen? Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies.
- To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, scoop the dough and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for3 to 6 months.
- When ready to bake cookies, place frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and simply add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- To freeze baked cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely and place them in a freezer bag. Place the bag in the freezer. The cookies will keep about 3 months in the freezer.
- To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, scoop the dough and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for3 to 6 months.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cookies Made from Scratch
As I said, these cookies are a favorite at our house. I usually whip up a batch of these cookies for cookouts, parties, bake sales, and holiday cookie trays. I NEVER have any leftovers and everyone asks for the recipe! One bite and you will know why!
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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup shortening
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (12-oz) package white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- ¼ cup apple butter
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, shortening, and sugars on medium-low speed until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
- Add flour mixture and combine well. Stir in apple butter, white chocolate chips, and chopped macadamia nuts.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop into balls and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown.
Notes:
- Why use shortening? Shortening makes the cookies crumbly, flaky, and tender. Shortening is 100 percent fat as opposed to butter and lard, which are about 80 percent fat. Using shortening results in especially tender cakes, cookies, and pie crusts.
- Can I substitute butter? You can, but it will change the texture of the cookies.
- I make the cookie dough in an electric stand mixer. You can mix the dough in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- One cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4.25-ounces. To properly measure flour, give the flour a stir or whisk to loosen it up in the container. Use a spoon and lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Use a flat straight edge (like the straight back of a knife) to level off the top of the flour in the measuring cup. Do NOT compact the flour in the measuring cup.
- Can Chocolate Chip Cookies be frozen? Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies.
- To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, scoop the dough and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for3 to 6 months.
- When ready to bake cookies, place frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and simply add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- To freeze baked cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely and place them in a freezer bag. Place the bag in the freezer. The cookies will keep about 3 months in the freezer.
- To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, scoop the dough and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for3 to 6 months.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Steph
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That is what I did. They are good either way.
I found the White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M's!!
Did you use 12 oz – like the chocolate chips? Or 1 bag – which is (this year at least) 9.9 oz?
Thanks again!
I used 12 oz – Hershey's is still 12 oz in a bag.
Got it. But what about when you made them using m&m's? Did you use a bag? Or a bag plus a little more?
I used 12 oz of M&Ms.
I like the idea of adding the apple butter to the cookies, thanks for sharing. I wonder how it would taste in oatmeal & raisin cookies?
oo don't those look good!
That last picture made me want to run to the store right now and buy the ingredients.