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Fudgy dark chocolate macadamia nut cookies hot out of the oven resting on a cooking rack.
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5 from 4 votes

Fudgy Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Bake the perfect fudgy chocolate macadamia nut cookies with our easy gluten-free and vegan options recipe. Learn baking tips and how to freeze cookie dough.
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Chill Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 24 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American, Italian
Diet: Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories: 169kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

  • mixer or strong muscles and a whisk/ spatula
  • cookie trays
  • parchment paper baking paper or silicon baking mat

Ingredients

Wet Ingedients

  • ½ cup butter
    unsalted at room temperature or vegan dairy free plant-based butter
  • ¾ cup brown sugar packed (we used light brown sugar but you can also use dark brown sugar)
  • 2 large eggs (to keep vegan add 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds in 6 tablespoons of water and let stand 5 mins)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    pure extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum - spooned and leveled. (We used King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour) or use regular all purpose flour if no gluten sensitivities.
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch gluten-free
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cups chocolate chips We used vegan and gluten free rice milk chocolate chips. (reserve ¼ for top of cookie before baking)
  • ¾ cups macadamia nuts roughly chopped (reserve ¼ for top of cookie before baking)

Garnish (Optional)

  • Flaky Sea Salt Add a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt on cookies just as they come out of the oven. If you enjoy the sweet and salty combo, its a delicious addition.

Instructions

  • Combine Wet Ingredients: Cream together unsalted butter (or vegan plant based butter) and brown sugar until light and creamy with a mixer or with whisk and strong muscles. Add in eggs (or ground flax seeds and water to keep vegan) and vanilla until well combined. (If using the vegan ground flax seed and water combination, allow the flax seed mixture to sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken up to the consistency of applesauce.)
  • Mix the Dry ingredients: In a separate bowl mix gluten-free flour blend WITH xanthan gum (or all-purpose flour if no gluten sensitivities) cornstarch, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed just until combined.
  • Stir In Add Ins: Using a spatula, fold in chopped macadamia nuts and chocolate chips into the cookie dough. Reserve ¼ cup of chopped macadamia nuts and chocolate chips to decorate each cookie balls before it bakes. (This is not required - but you get extra style points for pretty cookies.
  • Refrigerate: Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Refrigeration prevents the cookies from spreading!
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C)
  • Form into Balls: Shape cookie dough into approximately 1.5 tablespoon balls. Place them on a lined baking tray about 3 inches apart.  Stud the cookies with the remaining chocolate chips and macadamia nuts before baking. (Refrigerated dough will be quite firm - but is softens in just a few minutes once you start to working with the cookie dough.)
  • Bake cookies in the middle rack for 8 to10 minutes. At the 7 minute mark, pull the cookie tray out of the oven and give it one good whack on the countertop. This will confirm that the cookies are perfect thickness so they cook more evenly. Immediately, return the cookies back into the oven to finish baking.
  • Cookies are perfectly baked when the edges are firm and do not leave dents when you touch them with your finger. The middle and top will still be soft. Do not overbake! 9 minutes was the perfect time for our oven but each oven varies a little.
  • Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then carefully use a spatula and move them to a wire rack to cool. While the cookies are still hot, sprinkle on a little flaky sea salt if you like the sweet and salty combo.
  • Enjoy! You can freeze these cookies so you can enjoy them through the holidays, if they last that long!

Video

Notes

Macadamia nuts - You can use raw unsalted or toasted and salted macadamia nuts for this chocolate macadamia nut recipe. 
Chocolate Chips - We used vegan rice milk chocolate morsels form Enjoy Life to keep the recipe dairy free and gluten-free. 
Storing Baked Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Refrigerator:  First, allow the cookies to come to room temperature after baking. Then, place in a sealed airtight container or baggie and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
Freezer: Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container or baggie. If freezing, we like to first place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Then, we place the cookies in a sealed container or baggie. This prevents them from sticking together. If you do not have the time or space, make sure you place parchment or waxed paper between the layers of cookies before storing them in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 167IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg