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Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

These gluten free white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies are soft, chewy and so easy to make. They have perfectly crisp edges, a soft and gooey center and taste just as good as the classic. Plus, they can easily be made dairy free!

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with a bit taken out on parchment paper

Buttery, chewy, crisp edges, one bowl, chunks of chocolate and nuts. These white chocolate macadamia cookies are literally perfect.

And they’re gluten free! But I promise you would have NO idea. They’re also fairly easy to make dairy free if you get some dairy free white chocolate.

I usually go for a classic chocolate chip cookie, but this white chocolate version is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, chewy yet crispy and they’re made in just one bowl! If you love this recipe, try my brownie cookies next.

Before we get started…

  • Room temperature butter works best! If you’re impatient, you can microwave for about 20-25 seconds, we just don’t want it fully melted.
  • I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour which I recommend.
  • You do need to chill the dough in this recipe to ensure the cookies don’t spread prematurely, but I promise the wait is worth it!
ingredients on a baking sheet

How to make white chocolate macadamia cookies

Step 1: Cream butter and sugar. We’ll need room temperature or softened butter so it will cream into the sugars really easily.

Step 2: Beat in the egg and vanilla. Just until creamy and everything is well mixed together.

Step 3: Beat in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flour, don’t scoop right from the bag.

Step 4: Mix in the chopped nuts and white chocolate chips. I like using mini chips, but anything goes. You can also use a chopped up white chocolate bar.

two images showing how to make the dough

Step 5: Add the dough to the fridge for 1 hour. Please don’t skip this step! It is really necessary for ensuring the cookies don’t spread too much while baking.

Step 6: Scoop into 2 tablespoon balls and bake for 11-15 minutes.

Step 7: Let cool completely, then serve and enjoy!

two images showing adding the ingredients to the dough

How to store

Once prepared, these gluten free white chocolate macadamia cookies will keep at room temperature for about 3 days. Be sure to let them cool completely, then transfer to an air tight container.

I like to microwave them for a few seconds before eating so they’re good as new!

Can you freeze cookies?

Yes! With this recipe, you can freeze either the dough before you bake the cookies, or the cookies after the bake.

To freeze the dough before baking, follow all steps including chilling the dough. Then, scoop into balls and add to a freezer safe bag. Take a straw and suck all of the air out of the bag and add to the freezer.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit (not 350) and bake for a few minutes longer than the usual recommended time to account for the frozen dough.

To freeze after baking, let the cookies cool completely, then transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven until warm through the center.

white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough

Raw vs. roasted nuts

I used roasted and salted macadamia nuts for this recipe. Roasted nuts have a greater depth of flavor so I prefer that in this recipe.

If you only have raw macadamias, you can roast them for about 10 minutes at 350 before baking, or just use them raw! They will be delicious either way.

one bite taken out of the gluten free white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with sea salt

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy. You can sub the butter for dairy free butter and use dairy free white chocolate chips in place of regular.

Dairy free white chocolate can be hard to find, but if you find some you like (these get good reviews!), be sure to let us know in the comments so others can try!

Eggs. I have not tested this recipe without the egg, but since there is only one, you should be able to substitute with a vegan option.

My suggestion would be to use either apple sauce, a flax egg or a store bought egg replacer.

Flour. I of course made these cookies gluten free by using gluten free all purpose baking flour. If you are not gluten free, just sub for regular all purpose flour with no issues.

Whichever you use, be sure to spoon and level the flour to prevent dry cookies.

three gluten free cookies stacked on each other

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gluten free white chocolate macadamia cookies