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!
Nichole says
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
Lillian says
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?
Nagi says
Hi Lillian, it’s a different recipe – one to put on my list 🙂 N x
Veronica says
It should be forbidden to have these recipes hahaha I’m about to pop mine in the oven!
Nagi says
They are so good Veronica! N x
Elizabeth Reaiche says
Hi Nagi!
Wonderful recipe – Made it twice this week already! Do you think it would still work if I doubled it?
Vicky says
Hi, can I use this recipe base to make fig & pecan cookies like the B’Bay ones they used to sell?
Nagi says
I haven’t tried that one yet Vicky!! N x
Erika says
Hi nagi I made these fit the first time today. They fell apart when picked up, what have I done wrong???
Nagi says
Oh no! What do you mean they fell apart? After they were cooked? N x
Erika says
Yes they were VERY crumbly
Sharyn says
My cookies end up like pancakes. What am I doing wrong. They taste great
Nagi says
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
Kaiza Solza says
Could some more of the Plain Flour be substituted with Almond Meal??
Nagi says
Not in this recipe sorry Kaiza, it will change the texture unfortunately – N x
Maddie says
Great Recipe! Used dairy free Nuttelex in mine to eliminate some dairy (still plenty of dairy chocolate 😉 🍫) it was a softer dough and cookie but still turned out awesome 👌🏼 Used Smarties in mine too as I remembered them being used in the original dotty cookies 😁
Kim says
Hi i don’t have unsalted butter is it ok to use salted? How will this affect recipe please?
Nagi says
That’s fine, just omit the 1/8 tsp salt in the recipe. N x
Barbara Read says
Just absolutely scrumptious…a great hit with family. Love your recipes and appreciate all your little tips that go along with each one. Thankyou .
Kim says
Can these be frozen please?
Nagi says
You can freeze the dough up to 3 months if you like 🙂 N x
Kim says
Perfect thank you 🙂
Belinda says
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
Sue Newman says
I made 16 cookies with this Recipe. I’ve made similar before so I trust they will be amazing
Yvonne says
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😊)
Rachel says
Do you think I could make these into smaller cookies like half the size? Just bake less? Thank youuu!
Nagi says
Hi Rachel, yes you can, just bake less depending on their size – N x
Prema says
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!
Nagi says
WOOT! You nailed it Prema! N x
Susi V says
Outrageously good! And that’s after I accidentally forgot the baking powder 🙈
Nagi says
I’m so glad they still worked for you Susi! N x
Ross says
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!!
Anne-Marie Hunter says
Just made them and they are a hit with my family