Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies- Classic buttery white chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts. No chill gluten free cookie dough with a Dairy-free option.

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (1)

I’ve always been a white chocolate cookie fan.

One of the very first posts I shared was a cupcake inspired by gluten free white chocolate cranberry cookies.

I’ve also shared soft-baked gluten free white chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, which are one of my favorites!

I love the way the white chocolate dances with nutty flavors, like peanut butter.

Or like macadamia nuts, in these Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies.

I’ve loved these cookies for a long time, I can’t believe I am just now sharing the recipe with you here on Flippin’ Delicious.

I mean, they are on the cover of my cookbook!

A few weeks ago, I decided to bake up my gluten free white chocolate cookies recipe with my girls.

I wanted to show you just how easy these Gluten Free White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, so I made them on Facebook Live.

With both of my girls “helping.”

If you want to watch our shenanigans, keep reading.

The video is just before the gluten free white chocolate cookies recipe card.

If I can bake these gluten free cookies with one kid eating the gluten free flour with fingers while the other one tells silly joke about a cow getting it’s bum poked on a mountain… (I have no idea where the flip that came from) …you’ve totally got this.

Pro tip. If you are going to go on Facebook Live to bake cookies, melt your butter before you start!

Why are my gluten free white chocolate chip macadamia cookies the best?

  • The first secret it to use melted butter instead of softened butter. Why do I use melted butter? Melted butter makes a beautifully chewy cookie with crisp edges, which is just how I like my white chocolate cookies!
  • My second tip is to use egg yolks instead of a whole egg. This also helps your finished gluten free white chocolate macadamia cookies to have a chewy texture and rich taste.
  • The third secret is to be very careful when measuring your flour. I’ve found that especially when baking gluten-free, even just a little too much flour will yield a pile of crumbs or hockey puck. To accurately measure your flour, start by giving your gluten-free flour a quick shake or stir (depending on if it is in a bag or lidded container) to aerate it a bit and ensure it is well combined. Then, scoop the gluten free flour into your measuring cup with a spoon before leveling it off. If you scoop your flour directly with the measuring cup you’ll pack more flour in and won’t have the same results.
Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (2)

How to make dairy free white chocolate chip cookies?

This gluten free white chocolate chip cookies recipe is easily made dairy free with a few substitutions.

To make dairy free white chocolate chip cookies you need to use a dairy free substitute for the butter and the white chocolate.

I’ve made this recipe many times using a vegan butter (like Earth Balance, Smart Balance, or Melt) or half vegan butter and half palm shortening.

For best results, be sure to melt your dairy free butter just like you would melt regular butter.

There are now several dairy free white chocolate chips on the market.

My friend Erica from Celiac and the Beast raves about Pascha’s rice milk white chocolate chips.

They would be perfect in this recipe! (Here is my affiliate link to buy Pascha's dairy free white chocolate on Amazon.)

There are also a few dairy free white chocolate bars on the market, just coarsely chop the chocolate bar so they are in chip-sized chunks.

Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate, or whatever you can find locally or online.

I like to buy dairy free white chocolate on Amazon, but that can be tricky during the hot summer months.

You don’t want to end up with a white chocolate puddle!

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (3)

Which flour is best for gluten free chocolate chip cookies?

Which gluten-free flour you use is important.

I tested this recipe using my gluten free flour blend which has equal parts white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch.

I would recommend using a similar blend. If you use a gluten free flour that has more starch or has too much xanthan gum in it your cookies won’t spread the same way.

(Xanthan gum is often used in gluten free recipes to help replicate some of the structure that gluten normally lends to baked goods.)

If you use a blend that already has xanthan gum in it, please omit the xanthan gum in the recipe.

If you double up on the xanthan gum, your cookies will be gummy.

I think this recipe would work well with Ryze’s Blue Bag. I haven’t tested it yet but based on my experience with Ryze I expect it would turn out deliciously.

If you use Ryze’s Blue Bag, be sure to omit the xanthan gum.

I expect that Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour would also work well in this recipe.

There are lots of great gluten-free flour blends now days. What a magical time to be living, right?

Way better than a decade ago when I first started baking gluten-free!

How to measure gluten free flour

How you measure your gluten free flour is also very important.

To accurately measure your flour, use the “fork, spoon, knife” method.

First, mix your gluten free flour with a fork to ensure it is aerated and evenly mixed.

Then carefully spoon it into your measuring cup.

DO NOT scoop the flour with your measuring cup, you’ll compact extra flour into the measuring cup and then your gluten free baked goods will be dry and crumbly because they'll have too much flour.

Finally, level off your measuring cup using a knife.

Use room temperature ingredients

You’ll also have best results if all the ingredients are at room temperature, except for any ingredients that specify “cold” or “chilled”.

Using room temperature ingredients like eggs, butter, and gluten free flours helps your baked goods to bake evenly and correctly.

Think about it, if you use cold eggs, your batter will be colder.

And then it will change how it bakes, or may take longer.

For recipes that rise using steam, this is especially important.

Let me know in the comments what flour you use and how it turns out!

Let's bake some gluten free white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies!

📖 Recipe

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (4)

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yield: 1 ½ dozen gluten free white chocolate chip cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies- Classic buttery white chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts. No chill gluten free cookie dough with a Dairy-free option.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, melted (see note in post above for dairy free substitutions)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups my gluten-free flour blend
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup white chocolate chips (see note in post above for dairy free substitutions)
  • ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Cream the melted butter and sugar together. Add the eggs yolks and mix until combined.
  3. Mix in the baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and vanilla extract.
  4. Add the gluten free flour (I used my gluten free cookie blend) and mix until you have a smooth dough.
  5. Mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
  6. Scoop the cookie dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon balls (I used a medium cookie scoop) and place the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will spread and lose their doughy shine on top and be golden on the bottom, but will still be soft. They will set as they cool. Allow to cool on the baking sheet until set before moving to a cooling rack.
  8. Best with a glass of your favorite milk.

Notes

You can easily make these cookies dairy free buy using dairy free/vegan butter and some of the newer dairy free and vegan white chocolate chips on the market. I have tried Nestle's Simple Delicious white Chocolate Chips, and have heard great things about Pascha RiceMilk white Chocolate.

Nutrition Information

Yield 18Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 185Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 36mgSodium 113mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 1gSugar 15gProtein 2g

All nutrition info is a guestimate and will vary depending on the ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you get gluten-free cookies to stick together? ›

Remember: Xanthan Gum is Your Friend

It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces. Be careful to not use too much; no one likes gummy baked goods.

What if my gluten-free cookie dough is crumbly? ›

7- If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, just add back to the mixing bowl and stir in a couple tablespoons of your favorite milk or an egg. Add more if needed – the dough needs to hold together, but most cookie doughs shouldn't be sticky.

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from spreading? ›

Learn to keep the dough cold by working with one piece at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge. Put your cookie dough, already rolled dough or even an entire cookie sheet with cut cookies on it in the fridge when it's too soft. This helps cut cookies hold their shape and overall decreases spreading during baking.

How do you thicken gluten-free cookies? ›

Chilling the dough for at least several hours results in cookies that are extra-thick and chonky because it allows the flours to absorb more moisture. Here's how to do it: What is this? Make the dough as directed, then let sit until firm enough to scoop (or chill for a few minutes to speed this up).

What happens when you use gluten-free flour in cookies? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

What are the binding agents for gluten-free cookies? ›

Xanthan Gum

It serves many roles in gluten-free baking. Because gluten-free flours have less protein than wheat flours and are not capable of forming the same network required to stretch and surround starch granules, they need reinforcement. Xanthan gum strengthens these networks and also makes them more elastic.

Why are my gluten-free cookies so dry? ›

Add more fat or liquid: It might just be that you need a bit more moisture in your recipe, especially if you're converting a regular “gluten-ful” recipe to gluten-free. Try adding anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of liquid or fat to the recipe and see if that helps.

Should gluten-free cookie dough be chilled before baking? ›

You will not regret this extra step! ALL THAT SAID, if you simply don't have the time or patience to wait 24-48 hours, chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the fridge before scooping and baking.

How do you make gluten-free cookies less gritty? ›

Let the batter or dough "rest" 30 minutes before baking. This gives the flours time to absorb moisture and soften, minimizing that gritty texture. Baking time and temperature can vary. Start on the low end of baking time and add minutes as needed.

What gluten-free flour is best for cookies? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›

Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.

Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest? ›

Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.

Why use potato starch in gluten-free baking? ›

Potato starch is a popular ingredient in many gluten-free baking recipes and is often an ingredient in all-purpose gluten-free flours because it provides structure, tenderness, and binding properties to cookies, cakes, and more.

Why use tapioca flour in gluten-free baking? ›

When added to baked goods, tapioca starch helps the ingredients properly bind together. A function that gluten is often used for. Tapioca starch's binding abilities help bakers achieve baked goods that are fluffy, light and spongy in texture.

Does peanut butter contain gluten? ›

Living gluten-free can be a challenge. It's important to know that peanuts, peanut butter, peanut flour and peanut oil are considered naturally gluten-free foods. Gluten is a form of protein found in wheat, barley and rye (2).

What ingredient makes cookies stick together? ›

Binding agents are the liquid in the recipe that hold the cookie together. Examples of binding agents are eggs, milk, honey, and fruit juice. Cookies with more eggs will rise more and spread less. If you want a crispier cookie, you can replace a whole egg with just an egg white.

What to do when cookie dough won't stick together? ›

First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This can be milk, water, or even just a little bit of extra oil. If that doesn't work, you can try kneading the dough for a few minutes to help it come together. Lastly, if all else fails, you can always add in a few tablespoons of flour to help bind the dough together.

How do you make gluten-free flour stick better? ›

The sticky effect created by gluten can be simulated to a certain extent by adding gums, such as guar gum or xanthan gum. These gums are only added to recipes in small amounts (such as 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour) and are already included in many commercial gluten-free flour mixes.

Should I refrigerate gluten-free cookie dough before baking? ›

— resting the dough makes SUCH a difference in the final cookie. You will not regret this extra step! ALL THAT SAID, if you simply don't have the time or patience to wait 24-48 hours, chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the fridge before scooping and baking.

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