White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies - made dough October 15, 2014, recipe modified from Julie's Eats and Treats

This is a nice version of a white chocolate macadamia cookie. I did my usual routine when it comes to cookie baking: toasted the macadamia nuts and let them cool completely before adding them to the dough, portioned the dough into golf-ball-sized balls, chilled them briefly to be sure they'll hold their shape then placed them in a freezer bag to freeze them until I was ready to bake them (freeze at least overnight).

When I was ready to bake, I lined the baking sheets with parchment paper and baked the cookie dough balls directly from the freezer. No need to let the dough thaw or come to room temperature or you'll negate the whole freezing process you did in the first place.

The true test of successful cookie baking though is the baking itself. Or the underbaking if you're me. I like to bake cookies only until the edges are golden brown and the middles no longer look like raw dough. Do not let the middles get puffy and cracked or you'll have overbaked them. See how it looks moist in the middle in the pictures above? That's what you want. The edges and outer ring are more fully baked but the middles should still look moist and underbaked. When the cookies are completely cooled, they'll be moist and chewy.

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl and set aside. 
2. Mix butter with sugars in a different bowl. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add flour mixture and combine. Then add chips and nuts.
4. Portion into golf-ball-sized dough balls and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven 350 degrees F.
6. Space evenly on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. The tops might still look doughy but they will cook as they sit on the cookie sheet. Let sit on cookie sheets for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack and let cool.