White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These cookies.  I love them.  They take me back to the semester I lived in Hawaii.  Paradise!  I think these cookies are a great combination of sweet with a tad bit of salty.  In our house, we love our chocolate chip cookies but every once in awhile you need a change (at least I do - my kids and husband would probably disagree with me) and these cookies are a great change to add to the rotating cookie list.

Love the soft centers with the chunks of white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yield: About 16 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, unbleached

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted macadamia nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts.  Add the flour mixture and beat until everything is evenly combined.  Stir in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until evenly distributed.

Roll two heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball.  Tear the ball in half and place the torn side down on the cookie sheet.  Take the second half and place it on top of the first half with the torn part facing up.  Like this:

Leave about two inches between each cookie for spreading.  Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are very slightly browned.  The centers might not look all the way done but the cookies will finish cooking while cooling on the cookie sheet.  Leave the cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and allowing them to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Recipe Source: thenovicechefblog.com