Filled to the brim with vegan white chocolate chips and buttery macadamia nuts, these soft and chewy Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a must-make! This is an easy one-bowl recipe.
Treat yourself to more epic vegan cookies, like these Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fluffernutter Cookies, Vegan Snickerdoodles, and Kitchen Sink Cookies.
Classic white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies have a famous melt-in-your-mouth texture and nutty flavor that make them irresistible. Jam-packed with white chocolate and buttery soft macadamia nuts, it’s not surprising that they’re so popular!
If you loved the classic version, you’ll surely fall for my Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies as well. They’re not only easy to make in one bowl but are also soft, thick, and chewy; it’s everything you want in a macadamia nut cookie!
Why I love these cookies
- Bakery-style cookies – Their pillowy soft, chewy, and buttery bites make these cookies taste like they’ve come straight from your favorite vegan bakery.
- A one-bowl dessert – It’s a foolproof vegan cookie recipe made mostly with baking staples in just one bowl.
- Freezer-friendly – Whether they’re baked or unbaked, vegan macadamia nut cookies are easy to freeze for months!
How to make vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl until creamy and smooth. Next, beat in the milk and vanilla.
Add the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to the bowl, then slowly beat them into the wet mixture on low speed until just combined. Finish by folding in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Want more mix-ins? Dried cranberries folded into the dough would give the cookies a festive twist.
Roll scoops of the cookie dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Place the sheets in the fridge for 30 minutes so the cookie dough balls can firm up.
After chilling, bake the cookies until they’re just barely golden around the edges.
Do not overbake the cookies! You’ll know they’re done when the tops look puffy and the edges are just starting to brown. It’s okay if they still look a little underdone; they’ll continue to cook and firm up on the baking pans after they come out of the oven (it’s the secret to a chewy, soft cookie!).
Let the cookies rest on the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
No, real white chocolate is not vegan since it’s made with milk solids. Vegan white chocolate chips can be hard to find, so I typically order them online. I ordered these King David Vegan White Chocolate Chips, and they are the best ones I’ve tried so far.
I like to bake with King David’s Vegan White Chocolate Chips but any brand of vegan white chocolate chips should work well. You can also chop up a store-bought or homemade vegan white chocolate bar and use the chunks in the cookies instead.
Sure! Just use a gluten free flour mix (I love Better Batter) instead of the all purpose flour to make gluten free macadamia nut cookies.
I recommend it. The butter in the cookie dough becomes soft as you roll the dough balls, and warm butter melts faster in the oven, causing your cookies to spread. However, if you’re in a rush and don’t mind flatter cookies, you can skip the chill.
Yes, the cookies can be frozen before or after baking. The baked cookies freeze well in an airtight container for about 3 months.
To freeze the unbaked cookies, place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Afterward, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen but add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy milk or other plant milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts roasted or raw, salted or not
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugars until creamy and smooth.
- Beat in the milk and vanilla until fluffy and combined.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour. Sprinkle the baking soda, cornstarch and salt on top of the flour. Turn the mixer on low speed and mix until just combined.
- Mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until well incorporated.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, roll into balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) and place on the prepared pans. If possible, refrigerate the balls on the pan for 30 minutes before baking. If not, it's okay but the cookies may be a bit more flat.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until they are just barely golden on the edges. Do not over bake. You can also stick a few white chocolate chips on top of each dough ball before baking, if you'd like.
- Let them cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool, getting perfectly chewy. Enjoy!
Notes
- I used King David’s Vegan White Chocolate Chips and roasted lightly salted macadamia nuts. You can use raw macadamia nuts or roasted, salted or not, your choice.
- For gluten free, substitute a gluten free flour mix. I love Better Batter, especially for cookies.
- How to freeze: Roll the dough into cookie dough balls and freeze in a freezer friendly bag or container for up to 2 months.
- Storage: Store in a container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
Just realized I came back from the grocery store without cornstarch😭 if I don’t add it, how will it react? Thank you!
They will be okay without it. Enjoy!
I haven’t had white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in years since I’ve been vegan. These are so good!!!!
tasted good but they spread out so much. Not sure what went wrong. I baked one tray at a time like the other comments and baked for a couple of minutes longer because they were still raw 🙁 any tips?
Cookies can come spread and become flat for a few reasons. First, because the butter was too soft or melted when you made the dough. Second, your measurements are slightly off. I suggest spooning flour into a measuring cup, then leveling it off with a knife for accurate measurements; do not pat it down or just scoop from a container of flour. Third, because people make substitutions or cut the sugar in half. You can also put the dough in the fridge if it seems really soft, for about 30 minutes, then roll and bake and that will make them thicker. Hope that helps!
So these are phenomenal, but I baked both trays of the cookies at the same time, and the ones closer to the bottom of the oven spread out a ton. The ones on top are perfecly thick and chewy. I did chill both trays in the fridge for half an hour. Not sure what happened, but I think next time I’ll just be patient and bake them separately lol. All of them still taste super good though, thanks for the recipe!
I always just bake one pan of cookies at a time actually, otherwise the bottom ones tend to burn or spread. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These were DELICIOUS
How wonderful that you loved them! Thank you for your stellar review!
These were delicious. Non vegan friends were shocked they were so good. I used half regular Enjoy Life chocolate chips and half white chocolate. I did have to bake them a little longer 13 – 15 minutes. Will definitely make again.
How wonderful everyone loved the cookies! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! I appreciate you taking your time to share!
Hey! I’m about to try this recipe now, and noticed that the metric measurement for the 1/2 c butter (1 stick) is off.. 113g is what I’m used to, so it (56g as written) is about half as much as I expected!
Anyway, can’t wait to try these later. 🙂
Thanks for catching that! I’ve updated it to the correct conversion, 113 grams. I’m not sure what happened there. I hope you LOVE these cookies!
I made these for the Christmas holidays. I added dried cherries to the recipe. Everyone loved it. Thank you Nora for sharing your delicious recipes.
Hii
Thanks for the recipe, I’m excited to try it out!!
Just wanted to check though…I like a crispy cookie rather than a chewy one. Do I just increase the baking time by a few more minutes or do I change any of the ingredients?
Yep, just bake a few minutes longer for crisp cookies! Hope you love them.
Hi Nora, once again a star recipe that’s easy to make and completely delicious. I made the cookies with Hazelnuts, so maybe the macadamia will be even better. Meantime, am making a 2nd batch with Hazelnuts. Thanks!
You are welcome, Tamar! I’m so glad you are loving the cookies! Thanks for your wonderful review!
Hi Nora!
Thank you so much for your recipes.
Can the butter be replaced with coconut oil on this recipe and still be a good one? 🙂
Thank you!!
Hi Monica! I haven’t tried using coconut oil in this recipe, but it might work. The cookies might spread more and taste different though. I’ve found when I sub coconut oil the cookies aren’t as pretty and round.
Just made these and they’re delicious! I used enjoy life mini white chips. I made one batch that went straight in the oven and another in the fridge for 30 minutes as recommended and it did make a difference. All were great though.
Thank you for the wonderful review, Christal! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies 🙂
Do you sell a recipe book that a person can buy? Very interested would love to have one.
I don’t have a cookbook yet but I hope to one day. Thanks for being interested!
Thanks for sharing your recipes, truly appreciate it. Do you have a 🥧 crust that’s vegan and gluten free?
Thanks Glenda! I don’t have a gluten free pizza crust recipe, just a regular vegan one.
So good! Chewy yet crispy on the outside. Maybe a bit too many white chocolate chips- I’ll pull back a bit next time. I used coconut sugar instead of white cane and delish. I might do a little more macadamia in place of the chips next time. And there will be a next time.
I’m so glad you liked the cookies, Susan! It’s always fun to adjust to your taste! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! Happy cooking!