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Home Cookies

Byron Bay White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

By:Nagi
Published:12 Apr '19Updated:28 Jun '20
137 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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.

Close up overhead photo of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie

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!

Hand holding White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies broken in half to show inside

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.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies ingredients

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.

How to make Byron Bay White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Stacks of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with a cup of latte

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.


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!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Watch how to make it

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Stack of White chocolate macadamia nut cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Cookies
Western
4.92 from 25 votes
Servings13
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Copycat of the famous Byron Bay Cookies sold in cafes across Australia, these are big, thick and buttery, and they are crispy but softly textured and they melt in your mouth. White chocolate and macadamia nuts is a classic cookie combination!

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
  • 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:

1. Rice flour - makes the cookie texture slightly more "velvety" just like Byron Bay cookies. Found alongside cornflour/cornstarch in the baking aisle, use leftovers for Shortbread cookies! Sub with normal flour.
2. Macadamia nuts - chop these into largish pieces, halves or quarters. You want nice big pieces for optimal eating experience!
3. White Chocolate - Use eating chocolate rather than baking white chocolate, it tastes better than cooking chocolate in this particular recipe (only recipe where I recommend this, because white cooking chocolate quality just isn't up to the standard of milk and dark chocolate).
Cut smaller than the nuts. If too large, they can make the surface too cracked because there's too much big "stuff" in the cookie. The trick here is to have more bits of white chocolate throughout in smaller pieces (concluded after close inspection of Byron Bay cookies!).
4. Customise - switch the macadamias and chocolate for other things of choice, such as chocolate chunks, dried fruit, nuts, caramel bits. 1 - 1.25 cups in total. Or top with M&M's for the Byron Bay "Dotty" cookies!
5. Baking 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.
6. Storage - keep in a super air tight container for 4 to 5 days, keeps perfectly with no change to texture. Not sure about freezing - will update if I try.
7. Nutrition per cookie.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 313cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 26g (9%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Cholesterol: 61mg (20%)Sodium: 129mg (6%)Potassium: 119mg (3%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 375IU (8%)Vitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 45mg (5%)Iron: 1.2mg (7%)
Keywords: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
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137 Comments

  1. Belinda says

    January 5, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    5 stars
    Excited to find the recipe,
    I got 14 cookies out of it, yet to try they are smelling delicious 😋
    Baked at 10min at 180 deg then turned down to 150 deg for 5min as they were looking brown and baked.
    Thank you so much

    Reply
  2. Sue Newman says

    December 24, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    I made 16 cookies with this Recipe. I’ve made similar before so I trust they will be amazing

    Reply
  3. Yvonne says

    December 19, 2020 at 8:41 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I am a fan of your cooking. I love how simple the recipes and it tastes yummy. This Christmas I made these choc chip and macademia and white choc cookies to give away as Christmas presents for all my friends. It’s cheaper and tastes way better than the famous Bayron Bay cookies(oops! don’t tell anyone😊)

    Reply
  4. Rachel says

    October 11, 2020 at 8:54 pm

    Do you think I could make these into smaller cookies like half the size? Just bake less? Thank youuu!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 12, 2020 at 8:02 pm

      Hi Rachel, yes you can, just bake less depending on their size – N x

      Reply
  5. Prema says

    July 29, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    I’m a huge fan of the Byron Bay white chocolate and macadamia cookies too, but like you Nagi I can rarely bring myself to pay for them. So I was super-excited to find your recipe, and tried it straight away — it is every bit as good as the real thing! Yummo! One of my taste-testers even said, “I can’t believe these aren’t bought.” Thanks heaps Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 29, 2020 at 7:15 pm

      WOOT! You nailed it Prema! N x

      Reply
  6. Susi V says

    July 20, 2020 at 3:47 am

    5 stars
    Outrageously good! And that’s after I accidentally forgot the baking powder 🙈

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 20, 2020 at 8:31 am

      I’m so glad they still worked for you Susi! N x

      Reply
  7. Ross says

    July 15, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    I made these to take to work.. But I didn’t go to work yesterday and ate the whole batch instead!! Oops!!!!!!
    They turned out amazing!!

    Reply
  8. Anne-Marie Hunter says

    July 11, 2020 at 7:11 pm

    5 stars
    Just made them and they are a hit with my family

    Reply
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