Macadamia and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Macadamia and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies - made dough June 17, 2013 from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

I could have sworn I had made these cookies already but I can't seem to find any evidence that I had, either on my blog or in my files.  I suspect I had planned to make them half a dozen times and something always came up, such as I was out of an ingredient like macadamia nuts or white chocolate chips/chunks.  When I look at something often enough, I can talk myself into believing I'd made it already even if I haven't.  Just to play it safe, I'm going to make them for real instead of just in my head.  Since I was baking a variety of things for Cookie Palooza, I wanted to add a white chocolate macadamia cookie into the mix both to have a different flavor of cookie and because I wanted to try a recipe out of one of my baking books.  I'd been so distracted by pinterest and the plethora of recipes I keep endlessly pinning that I've been neglecting my baking book collection and they're getting a mite dusty.

I baked these off on the night before our volunteer event, along with several dozen other cookies.  I couldn't taste test all the different kinds of cookies I baked that night so I tried this one the next day.  It was okay.  I can't say it's any better than other White Chocolate Macadamia cookies I've made before and I wasn't thrilled that it spread.  I was afraid it would as the dough was rather soft when I put it to chill and yes, it did spread.  I think I would rather make Alton Brown's chocolate chip cookie recipe and just add in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to that one.

3/4 cup (2.5 ounces) rolled oats
3/4 cup (3.375 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup (4.5 ounces) dry-roasted salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate

1. Pulverize the oats in a food processor until fine.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and pulse to combine.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugars and vanilla.  Whisk in the egg.  Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.  Let the mixture cool for a few minutes if it is at all warm.  Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Portion into dough balls, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake until the cookies are golden brown at the edges and not shiny or raw looking in the middle, 13 to 15 minutes.  Cool completely before storing or stacking.