White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Baker, blogger and photographer Michelle Lopez gave the classic recipe for Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip cookies a makeover, replacing regular chocolate chips with Dulcey blond chocolate feves, a creamy chocolate with a blond color and carmel-like flavor (you can buy them online and at some upscale grocery stores). It’s worth searching out the feves, but our Test Kitchen has discovered that the cookies are also fabulous made with high-quality white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bars. Macadamia nuts lend richness and crunch. To temper the sweetness, Michelle finishes the cookies with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. These treats are guaranteed to be a hit at holiday get-togethers.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups (16 1/2 oz./515 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz./330 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) Dulcey blond chocolate feves, coarsely chopped, or white chocolate chips
- 1/4 lb. (125 g) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, stirring often, until completely melted. Pour the butter into a large bowl and whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. The mixture may look like it will seize, but it will relax with a few seconds of stirring. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking briefly after each addition until just combined. Whisk in the vanilla.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the butter mixture and stir in with a rubber spatula until almost completely blended, with only 2 or 3 small flour streaks visible. Stir in the blond chocolate feves and macadamia nuts, scooping to the bottom of the bowl to combine all the ingredients, until the dough no longer looks dusty. If the dough seems warm or overly glossy, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Using about 3 Tbs. dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt.
Bake until the tops of the cookies are cracked and lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for at least 10 minutes, then enjoy the cookies immediately. Makes about 28 cookies.
Recipe by Michelle Lopez, creator of the blog Hummingbird High