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Soft, chewy, and bursting with festive flavor, these Brown Butter Macadamia Nut Cookies are a holiday must-bake. The nutty, caramel notes from browned butter pair perfectly with crunchy macadamia nuts, while the silky white chocolate cream cheese frosting adds a touch of holiday bliss. Perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges or a festive holiday table. This dessert will leave your guests speechless.
Tips and Tricks
Brown the butter carefully:
Stir constantly to prevent burning the milk solids. Remove from heat when it turns a golden brown with a nutty aroma and allow it to COOL! for at least 10-15 minutes. Failure to do this will make the dough not be soft and will be crumbly due to the different temperature of ingredients.
Don’t over bake the cookies:
Cookies continue to cook on the baking sheet after removal! That’s why it’s totally okay for the cookies to look soft/underdone once you remove them from the oven. Bake until edges are set but centers are soft.
White Chocolate Frosting:
Make sure the while chocolate is cooled to at least room temperature before adding it with the butter and cream cheese. You can do this by placing it in the refrigerator but make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn’t solidify. When beating your frosting, beat on high for 2-3 minutes to get a light, fluffy, easy to pipe frosting.
Chewy Brown Butter Macadamia Nut Cookie with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
Macadamia Nut Cookies:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, browned (113 g)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed (100 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, (50 g)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (180 g)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped (150 g)
White Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Macadamia Nut Cookies:
- Place the 8 tbsp unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as the butter melts. It will foam and then begin to turn golden brown with a nutty aroma (about 5–7 minutes). Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Allow it to cool for 10–15 minutes so it’s warm but not hot.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter with dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth using either a spatula or spoon. Add the egg, vanilla bean paste, and milk. Mix until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in the chopped macadamia nuts.
- Scoop out 14 even size cookies (about 48g each) and roll into an even ball. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 7 cookie dough balls per sheet, leaving an even amount of space to allow the cookies to spread.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes (I like to rotate my pans halfway through and give the pan a tap on the counter before returning to the oven if I don’t see them spreading as much). Edges should be crisp with a soft center.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
- For the White Cream Cheese frosting, start with melting your white chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in 30 second intervals at 50% power. Once melted, set aside so the chocolate can cool.
- In a medium size mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the cooled white chocolate, vanilla bean paste, powdered sugar, and salt, mix until creamy. If the frosting is too soft, chill for 10–15 minutes.
- Once the cookies are cool, pipe a swirl of white chocolate cream cheese frosting on each cooled cookie then top each with an equal size cookie and gently press together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or enjoy immediately.
