Name: Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 34 min
Cuisine: cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature; 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, bread flour or a blend of the two; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup shredded coconut or coconut flakes, unsweetened; 1 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped; 1 cup dark chocolate chips; 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

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Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies by Baking The Goods

Classic chocolate chip cookies get a taste of the island life in these Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. Made with chewy coconut, the gentle crunch of macadamia nuts and smooth and melty dark chocolate chips, texture drives these craveable cookies.

Hawaii inspired ingredients are baked into these Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

My first trip to Hawaii was pure paradise. We spent a week in Maui and the trip exceeded my expectations on every level. There were beach strolls, swims in the clear warm sea, pool lounges, a windy drive up the lush and breathtaking Road to Hana and even a coffee and organic farm tour in Upcountry. We tasted our way across the island. And, I even brought a bit of that flavor home in my suitcase.

Macadamia nuts from Hawaii — The macadamia nuts I hauled back from Hawaii.

Chopped Macadamia Nuts — The macadamia nuts I hauled back from Hawaii.

A vacuum packed bag of Macadamia nuts, 2 bags of Hawaiian grown coffee beans, an entire loaf of sourdough and more chocolate than I care to admit to all came back home with me. Without knowing it, those flavors ended up sparking the recipe for these soft and chewy Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.

More soft & chewy cookies from Baking The Goods

Key ingredients in Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just like all of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes, these chewy cookies contain all of the usual suspects; flour, butter, white sugar, large eggs, etc. But, the combination of flavors and a few additional ingredients set these cookies apart for their classic cookie counterparts.

Macadamia Nuts add a delicate crunch and slightly nutty, almost creamy flavor. The textural, soft crunch is a welcome contrast against the soft cookie centers.
Coconut brings big island flavor and an ultra chewy bite to the chocolate chip cookie base. Unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut add just enough natural sweetness with a slight nuttiness.
Dark Chocolate Chips add deep, cocoa notes and smooth richness. I used large dark chocolate wafers here to create be pools of melty chocolate in each bite. However, classic chocolate chips work as well. Alternatively, you can swap in milk chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips.

The Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie ingredients start with a simple base and incorporate the key ingredients that set them apart.

More ingredient tips & tricks for the best cookies ever

Bread Flour makes for extra chewy cookies. The higher protein content in bread flour translates to more gluten development. This makes the dough stronger, which means chewier cookies! Simply swap half or all of your all purpose flour for bread flour for the chewiest cookie texture.
Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar blend together to create a cookie that is just sweet enough with crusty cookie edges and a soft, chewy center. Use dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
European Style Butter has a higher fat content, imparting richer flavor and a superior texture to the cookie dough.
Flaky Sea Salt is optional but highly encouraged. By adding a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to the Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, you are subtly enhancing all of the other flavors in the cookies. A little salt turns up the volume of the other flavors, bringing out the deep, contrasting flavors.

Macadamia nuts are one of those traditional Hawaiian ingredients that fit right at home mixed into cookie dough. I am so thankful to myself for having the foresight to bring back a bag of buttery macadamia nuts with no specific plans. When combined with big chunks of chocolate and strands of unsweetened coconut or coconut flakes, these Macadamia Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut might just become your favorite cookies. They shot to the top of my cookie recipe list!

The Nordstrom Cafe Royale Cookies have a royally loyal following

Even as a lifelong Nordstrom fan, somehow I don't believe that I have ever had their famous Royale Cookie. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until I started writing the post for this Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. As it turns out, the Royal Cookie has a royally loyal following! With good reason, the Nordstrom Cafe treat features the same combo of tropical flavors baked right into a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Whether you bake this recipe or pick up a Royale Cookie on your next shopping trip, you've got one heckuva a good cookie in your future.

Crisp edges, soft centers & chewy textures

That trifecta of cookie perfection was the goal with this recipe. I aimed to create cookies that brought me the same level of satisfaction as my first time in Hawaii. Leave it to the Aloha state to inspire one of best chocolate chip cookie recipes ever!

These Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are as easy as basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

I began with my recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie with Sea Salt as a base. Then I simplified things by skipping the browned butter step in favor of highlight the additional ingredients. This really allows the creamy macadamia nuts, semi-sweet coconut and dark chocolate chunks to show off their goods. Just a few minor flavor tweaks, however, the mixing and baking methods are still the same.

creaming butter and sugar — First, cream the butter and sugars together.

creamed butter, sugar and brown sugar — First, cream the butter and sugars together.

Mix & bake the the Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, whisk the dry ingredients together. Swapping in bread flour for super chewy cookies.
Then, cream the butter, white sugar and dark brown sugar together until lighter in color and airy.
Next, add the eggs, one at a time. Followed by the pure vanilla extract. Blending the wet ingredients until the eggs are fully incorporated.
Then, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed.
Finally, stir in the macadamia nuts, coconut and dark chocolate chips.
Once mixed, use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to shape the large cookie dough balls.
Then, chill the cookie dough in the fridge or freezer closely on a lined baking sheet.
Finally, place about 6 cookies, evenly spaced, on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° F until the edges are crisp and golden and centers are still slightly soft and chewy.

Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to shape large Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls.

Chilling cookie dough on lined baking sheet — Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to shape large Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls.

Techniques for baking perfect Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reserve a small handful of the macadamia nuts, coconut and dark chocolate chips to dot the top of each scooped cookie dough ball before baking. It will show a peek of what's inside and add textural drama to your baked cookies.
Place the scooped cookie dough balls close together on a lined baking sheet and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes before baking. This gives the ingredients time to meld and the dough firms up enough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Bake the cookies on parchment paper or a silicon baking mat to prevent sticking and promote a more even bake.
If the shape of your cookies gets a little wonky while baking, use a round cookie or biscuit cutter that's slightly larger than your cookies to help scoot the cookies back into shape!

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place the cutter around the cookie and move it in a circular motion. The cookie will roll around inside the round cookie cutter and after a few loops and scoots, the edges will soften and round out into a perfectly circular cookie!
While the cookies are still warm, use a skewer to spread the melty chocolate into luscious pools and sprinkle the sea salt flakes so it sticks to the chocolate.

Cookie scoot method — The cookie scoot method in action.

Spreading chocolate pools in cookies — The cookie scoot method in action.

I fell hard and fast for Hawaii. It brought me a level of relaxation that I haven't been in touch with for years, maybe even decades. Just one week on Maui reset an unrest that's been simmering inside me for way too long. I could go on and on about the healing powers of a rejuvenating vacation. But, I'll spare you the slideshow and instead share the best thing that I brought back with me, this Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Macadamia Nut Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies