White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – a copycat recipe of the popular Byron Bay cookies found in cafes all across Australia! The combination of white chocolate with the soft creamy crunch of macadamia nuts in a big, thick, buttery cookie is a match made in heaven.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Byron Bay cookies changed the Aussie cookie market forever when they first came out. They were known for their size (big!), the buttery crisp-but-melt-in-your-mouth texture and most importantly, the generous amounts of “stuff” inside. Big chunks of chocolate (here’s the Choc Chunk version!), nuts, M&M’s.
Nobody eats a Byron Bay cookie and is left feeling dissatisfied!!
They’re now found in cafes all across Australia, and as popular as ever. They also come with a fairly hefty price tag of $4.00 each.
So it was inevitable that I’d pursue a copy-cat version with a vengeance!
This recipe is a copycat of Australia’s most popular cafe cookie – Byron Bay cookies!
Byron Bay Cookie recipe – what you need
This recipe was developed using Shortbread Cookies as a base which has a similar texture and flavour, then tweaked by referencing the ingredients listed on the Byron Bay Cookie jars in cafes (I cheekily took photos of the labels to reference back at home!).
Just a note on a few ingredients:
Rice flour – this makes the cookie crumb a bit “silkier” than when made with just flour, to mimic the texture of Byron Bay Cookies (it’s listed in the Byron Bay ingredients). Can sub with normal flour;
Brown and white sugar – both used to achieve the balance of texture, flavour and colour. White sugar makes cookies crisper, brown sugar makes cookies chewier, browner and a touch more flavour; and
Macadamia nuts and white chocolate – the base cookie is the same for all white Byron Bay Cookies so feel free to sub this with other “stuff” of choice – choc chunks, M&M’s (the Dotty Cookies!), other nuts, dried fruit, caramel bits etc.
Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.
How to make it
This recipe is one of those recipes where you form a log which is refrigerated to firm up, then sliced. In the spirit of Byron Bay Cookies, I make these BIG and THICK!!
I use a hand held beater here but it can be done with a stand mixer or even with a wooden spoon and a bit of an arm work out.
It cost about $12 for all the ingredients, and this recipe makes 13 cookies (because it would be asking too much for any recipe I invent to make a nice even number like 12 cookies). So at $4 a pop, this makes $52 worth of cookies.
So I’m feeling very smug right now. I know I know, I’m soooo immature!!! 😂 – Nagi x
PS These cookies keep very well, staying the same texture rather than going soft like some cookies do. The record so far is 4 days. I’m holding onto 1 cookie to see how long much longer it will last.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Watch how to make it
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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 175g / 5.5 oz butter, unsalted, softened (11 US tbsp)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar , caster/superfine best
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks (Note 6 for using leftover whites)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
- 1/2 cup rice flour (sub with plain) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 100g / 3.5 oz macadamias , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 125g / 4 oz white eating chocolate , chopped into pretty small pieces (not baking chocolate, Note 3)
Instructions
- Beat butter, sugar and salt on medium (speed 5) using a hand held mixer for 1 minute until smooth.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat for 1 minute or until smooth.
- Add baking powder, rice flour and half the plain flour. Beat with mixer on medium speed until flour is incorporated.
- Add remaining flour and beat with mixer until flour is incorporated. Add macadamia nuts and chocolate, then mix through with a wooden spoon (dough gets a bit too hard to use mixer).
- Scrape mixture onto a work surface, press together and shape into a 22cm/9″ log.
- Roll up in baking paper or cling wrap, twist ends then refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice and bake:
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- Remove log from fridge, unwrap and slice into 1.75cm / 3/4" thick slices (12 – 13 cookies).
- Place 6 on each tray, bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn oven down to 170°C/340°F (150°C fan), switch the trays between shelves.
- Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven and cool cookies on tray.
- Cool fully before serving.
Recipe Notes:
- Initial high temp “sets” the cookie so it doesn’t spread everywhere, then we lower it to finish cooking through without the cookie going brown
- Bake time time is longer than usual recipes because these are BIG thick cookies!
- Cookies do not spread or rise very much
- For smaller cookies, reduce the cook time of the lower temp
- Different measures in different countries – recipe has been written to cater for different cup sizes in different countries. Only exception is Japan – please use weights.
Nutrition Information:
More cookie / cracker copycats
Other recipes I’ve created in the past for the same reason as these Byron Bay cookie copycat recipe (ie because I love ’em but they’re expensive!)
Byron Bay Triple Choc Fudge Cookies – Chocolate cookies with white AND dark chocolate, these are seriously chewy and seriously chocolatey!
Byron Bay Choc Chunk Cookies – the same cookie dough as this recipe, but loaded with choc chunks!
Gourmet Fruit & Nut Crackers for Cheese – homemade version of the rather expensive fruit and nut crackers to serve with cheese! Homemade is incredible – the flavour is so much better than the store bought. Plus it’s way WAY cheaper!
Muesli Cookies (Breakfast Cookies / Granola Cookies) – copycat of the thick, chunky, chewy muesli cookies sold in cafes across Australia. A healthy breakfast option because it’s like a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form – refined sugar free, low fat, gluten free, keeps you full for ages but it tastes like a sweet cookie!
Life of Dozer
Executive Producer Dozer, reporting for duty!
Hi Nagi,
Love this recipe. I make Langues de Chat (Cats Tounge Biscuits) with the leftover egg whites from this bake.
Hi Nagi, I have made these cookies many times since you first posted the recipe. They are a favourite with family and friends. I had to tweak the oven temperatures a bit as my oven is temperamental. I make them smaller and get about 32 normal sized cookies. The cooked biscuits freeze perfectly in an airtight container and are ready to eat 15 minutes after taking out of the freezer. Thanks for the fantastic recipe. Judy 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!!!!
Hi Nagi. I’ve recently made these cookies and wow they’re delicious. I cut mine a little thinner.
Thank you for this great recipe.
Just made these. Delicious.
Couldn’t wait till they cooled to try one, tho.😏😋
Hi Nagi, can you use rice flour that’s found in Asian supermarkets? Thanks!
Hi Nagi! Do you use raw macadamia nuts in this recipe or roasted/salted? It’s proving to be impossible to find raw macadamia nuts where I am in the U.S. without spending a bazillion dollars so I wanted to check ahead of time as to what you use:) These cookies look amazing!!!
Maybe use Hazelnuts. They’re similar shape and go well with chocolate.
Made them as is & also made a second batch adding dried pineapple. So, so good. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. My “RecipeTinEats” binder is getting full!
Dried pineapple sounds yum! N x
Next, toasted coconut!
Hi Nagi. I tried it and it is absolutely wonderful. I also tried your chocolate chunk cookies. Loved them too.
Thanks for all the great recipes that you give us
I didn’t have eating chocolate or rice flour but sub with white choc chips and plain flour…absolutely delicious! Thanks Nagi for yet another gem!
Hi Nagi,
Just wondering if dark brown sugar can be used in this recipe?
Thanks very much for your help 🙂
Hi Nagi,
If I’m not looking to bake it all at once. Can some sit in the fridge or freezer until I need to bake it?
For freezer: Should I precut the slices and freeze individually?
For Fridge: how long can it stay in there wrapped in parchment?
Thank you!
Hi Lori – I haven’t tried freezing it but it should be okay to stay in the fridge tightly wrapped for a day or two unsliced then just slice and bake as per recipe. N x
Hi Nagi, will corn flour be ok instead of rice flour or should I just use more plain flour?
Hi Nagi, this is more of a general question but where it says “preheat oven to 200C” which oven setting would that be. I have top and bottom heating, fan forced and top and bottom with fan assisted. What is the standard oven setting for baking. Also do you know which oven setting is used on American baking recipes?
P.s My Mum and I absolutely love all of your recipes and your easy to navigate website!!
Fantastic recipe, we make a double batch then halve to add Chocolate to one and white chocolate and macadamia’s to the other. Its a win win for the whole family
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I want to try making date and ginger cookies. Do you know how much of each I’ll need to replace the macadamia and white chocolate?
Hi Lillian, it’s a different recipe – one to put on my list 🙂 N x
It should be forbidden to have these recipes hahaha I’m about to pop mine in the oven!
They are so good Veronica! N x
Hi Nagi!
Wonderful recipe – Made it twice this week already! Do you think it would still work if I doubled it?
Hi, can I use this recipe base to make fig & pecan cookies like the B’Bay ones they used to sell?
I haven’t tried that one yet Vicky!! N x
Hi nagi I made these fit the first time today. They fell apart when picked up, what have I done wrong???
Oh no! What do you mean they fell apart? After they were cooked? N x
Yes they were VERY crumbly
My cookies end up like pancakes. What am I doing wrong. They taste great
Oh no Sharyn! Sounds like you’re mismeasuring somewhere along the way. Click the metric toggle to get the grams and mls to make the recipe exactly. N x