Before switching to a clean diet, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies were my absolute favorite cookies. However, I always paid the cost, walking away feeling bloated and heavy. Little did I know they could be made clean, and maintain all their delicious chewy texture and flavor!
These cookies are free of grains, gluten, dairy, and eggs, and totally pass the credentials to be considered both SCD and paleo!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
The typical white chocolate macadamia nut cookies include ingredients like: all-purpose flour, brown and white sugar, loads of butter, and dairy-based white chocolate. These are all ingredients that absolutely do not promote a strong, healthy body.
We truly believe all food should be just as delicious as it is healthy, and that you should always have the freedom to eat until you’re full and satisfied, with zero guilt. I never ever suppress cravings, and for me, dessert is a regular occurrence, and one that I know is healing and fueling for my body!
Because of this, these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies use a similar formula to the conventional version, but only with the cleanest, most delicious swaps! Here are the ingredients:
Dough:
Cashew Flour
Cashew flour is far superior to almond flour in my book. I never enjoyed the intense almond flavor it comes along with, and it was difficult to create moist, chewy recipes with.
Cashew flour, on the other hand, is a totally new story! With a neutral flavor, cashew flour creates chewy, moist recipes that totally make me forget about wheat flour. Cashew flour is my go-to!
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is normally not a good replacement for all-purpose flour, but it’s the perfect compliment when used in conjunction with another flour, like cashew flour! All that is needed in this recipe is 1/3 cup, meaning there’s no noticeable coconut flavor to these cookies.
Buy our favorite brand of coconut flour here!
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a nutrient-dense, healthy oil alternative with a pleasant flavor for baking. I love using Barleans!
Honey
Honey is my favorite sweetener to cook with. It’s filled with antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory, and depending on the type, can fall relatively low on the glycemic scale. Look for a raw and unfiltered honey for ultimate nutrients.
Gelatin
The gelatin in this recipe is used as an egg replacer, and it works beautifully! A high-quality, grass-fed gelatin can be incredibly healing for the gut, and is a great option for those avoiding eggs.
Vanilla Extract
If you don’t have vanilla on hand, it’s no big deal to skip it in this recipe. However, vanilla enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, and is a great addition!
I love this organic, alcohol free version!
Baking Soda
Baking soda helps these cookies stay light and airy. I use Bob’s Red Mill for a high-quality version.
Himalayan Pink Salt
Himalayan pink salt, or just salt in general helps activate the effect of the baking soda in the recipe. It’s also a flavor enhancer, much like the vanilla extract!
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts offer the absolute best flavor of all nuts in my opinion. They’re creamy, rich, buttery, and so unique. A true staple in this recipe!
White Chocolate Chips:
You don’t need dairy, cane sugar, and artificial flavors to create white chocolate chips. With just a few substitutions, you can make a delicious, clean version at home! However, you should know that making homemade, clean, white chocolate is quite the process, and takes about an hour from start to finish, with around half the time being hands-on. That’s why I love doubling, or tripling the recipe to have more for later! Believe me, it’s totally worth it.
It took me 7 or 8 failed attempts until I finally made this white chocolate chip recipe correctly, without the ingredients separating into layers. But once I finally caught-onto the process, it’s actually very simple!
The good news is, through all my failed attempts and mistakes, I’m here to show you how to make this chocolate correctly the first time. As long as you follow the directions exactly, and have lots of patience, you shouldn’t have an issue.
*Lastly, it’s important to note that due to the oily nature of cacao butter, these white chocolate chunks will fully liquify in the oven. Because of this, this recipe requires chocolate chunks to be added once the cookies have been removed from the oven, and are nearly cooled. I’ll explain more about this process in the recipe.*
Okay, let’s get into the clean ingredients!
Cacao Butter
Cacao butter is the oil from cacao beans. This differs from what we normally recognize as cacao or cacao powder (the dark brown colored powder used for hot chocolate and chocolate bars), which is what is leftover from the cacao bean after the cacao butter is extracted.
So while cacao butter tastes very different than a typical dark colored chocolate, it resembles chocolate with a mild taste and essence of chocolate.
Navita’s is my favorite brand!
Honey
Like mentioned earlier, honey is a great alternative to cane sugar in both the cookie dough, and white chocolate chips of this recipe. All it takes is 1.5 tbsp to perfectly sweeten this white chocolate!
Coconut Cream
Coconut cream helps add a creamy and smooth texture to the white chocolate in this recipe. It is the perfect replacement for dairy-based cream or milk!
Aroy’d is so thick and creamy, with no additives. It’s my favorite brand!
Vanilla
Vanilla extract, once again, helps to enhance the flavors in the white chocolate. With only a splash, you’ll definitely notice a difference in the flavor!
Since these cookies are egg-free, they’re a safe option for enjoying raw. They’re also absolutely delicious eaten as cookie dough! When making this recipe, I usually save a couple tablespoons in the fridge for snacking.
Okay, enough talking about the cookies…let’s actually learn to make them!
Kitchen Favorites
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Note: The total prep and cook time for this recipe include the white chocolate chunks. This does not reflect the an accurate prep or bake time for the cookie dough. You’re welcome to leave the white chocolate out (still delicious), use your own, or prep them ahead of time for a quicker cookie making process.
- Prep Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
- Cook Time: 25 min.
- Total Time: 1 hr. 40 min.
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 3/4 cup cashew flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, raw and split into halves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup softened coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 gelatin egg, see below
GELATIN EGG
- 2 tablespoon boiling water
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon high-quality gelatin
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
- 2/3 cup cacao butter
- 1.5 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
White Chocolate Chunks
- Start with white chocolate chunks, as this process will take the longest. Begin by filling a saucepan up to the halfway point with water, and turn on high. Once water has reached a boil, reduce to medium heat, and place a glass bowl on top (if you do not have a glass bowl, a small glass casserole dish will work as well).
- Place the cacao butter in the glass bowl, and allow to melt over the steam until the butter has fully liquified. Remove from heat.
- Add honey, coconut cream, vanilla, and salt, and whisk until combined.
- Allow the mixture to set for 5-10 minutes, and whisk again until well combined.
- Continue this process (every 5-10 minutes) for the next 40 minutes to an hour, or until the mixture is beginning to turn white, and has taken on a creamy, thicker consistency.
- Transfer to molds of choice (I love using the Pampered Chef Snack Bar Maker), and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour, or until solid.
- Remove from fridge, and break into chunks. Set aside.
Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350º f, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a seasoned baking stone (click here to read about our favorite toxin-free baking pan)
- Combine all dry ingredients (except for macadamia nuts), and mix well.
- Add in all wet ingredients, (including the gelatin egg (see instructions below)). Using an electric mixer, mix until well-combined.
- Add in macadamia nuts, and mix once again.
- Scoop a heaping tbsp of dough, and roll into a ball. Flatten, and press until 1/2 inch thick.
- If adding white chocolate (*see notes), use your finger to poke shallow holes in dough, where the chocolate chunks will be placed after cooling.
- Place on baking pan. Continue process until all dough has been used.
- Place in oven, and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes (mine took 12), or until edges are just achieving a golden brown color.
- Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
- At this point in the recipe, there are two options for adding the chocolate chunks. You can either wait for the cookies to fully cool, and add chunks loosely on top for flavor (easiest option), or allow to mostly cool, where very very little warmth is left. If the latter is chosen, place the chocolate chunks in the shallow holes, at which time chunks will begin melting into the holes. Immediately place in the freezer for a few minutes, until the white chocolate has re-hardened. Serve, and enjoy!
Gelatin Egg
- Combine water in a bowl.
- Slowly add a thin layer/very small amount of gelatin, and whisk until fully absorbed and smooth. Continue process until whole tbsp of gelatin has been absorbed, and add into recipe.
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Notes
White Chocolate Chunks: As stated in the article above, due to the oily nature of cacao butter, these white chocolate chunks will fully liquify in the oven. Because of this, I add my chocolate chunks in once the cookies have been removed from the oven, and are nearly cooled.
