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Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies are loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, generous flakes of coconut, and chopped macadamia nuts.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Loaded with Tropical Flavors
Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies are a delicious variation of traditional chocolate chip cookies – with flaked coconut and toasted macadamia nuts stirred into the cookie dough.
The result is a chewy cookie that’s sweet – but not too sweet – and every bite has a slightly different flavor depending on which of the “mix-ins” you get.
Why you’ll love Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies
- These perfectly sweet cookies are loaded with a variety of flavor and texture.
- They are sweet (but not overly sweet) cookies – and they go perfectly with a cold glass of milk.
- Once baked and cooled, these cookies are crisp and firm – so they freeze nicely. This means you can always keep some on hand when the cookie craving strikes!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips – Choose semi-sweet chocolate chips for their balanced sweetness. You can use the bagged Toll House morsels or chop semi-sweet chocolate baking bars into chunks.
- Macadamia Nuts – Buy raw whole macadamia nuts for this recipe and coarsely chop them. Pre-chopped nuts can also be used, but we prefer chopping them ourselves so we can control the size. (Bigger chunks of nuts are the best!) If you only have salted, roasted nuts on hand, skip the pan-toasting step, and also leave out the salt.
- Flaked Unsweetened Coconut – We used Bob’s Red Mill brand (see here). Unsweetened coconut will prevent the cookies from getting too sweet, and the large, flaked coconut adds a nice texture and chewiness to the cookie. Regular coconut can be used – just note that the chewiness will be less pronounced. Sweetened coconut will make the cookies very sweet.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Butter – We always choose (and recommend) unsalted butter for baking so we can control the salty flavor in the recipe.
- Light Brown Sugar – To keep the color of these cookies light, choose light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can also be used – the cookies will be a little darker.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
Special Tools Needed
- Small Skillet – To dry-toast the nuts
- Two Cookie Sheets – See Product Recommendation below.
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment – Or a sturdy hand mixer. Just note that this cookie dough gets dense once the chocolate, coconut, and nuts are added so you might want to mix them in by hand if using a hand mixer.
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Firm Rubber Spatula/Scraper
- #40 Scoop (2 tablespoons/1 ounce)
- Cookie Spatula
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION
We recommend insulated, non-stick cookie sheets for baking cookies that are shiny and light in color. They reflect heat better than darker pans and the added insulation layer helps the cookies from baking too quickly on the bottom.
How do I make Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies?
- Toast the chopped macadamia nuts in a dry skillet. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Mix in coconut and toasted nuts. Then, mix in chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookie dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
- Bake until golden brown on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet (out of the oven) before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
Baking Tip
Allow your cookie sheet to fully cool before you scoop out the cookie dough for the next batch to bake.
- If you place the scoops on a hot or warm cookie sheet, and it sits a bit before going into the oven, the dough will soften and the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
- With two cookie sheets in rotation, we had one batch of cookies baking in the oven while the other baking sheet cooled.
- If you have extra parchment paper sheets, you can portion out the cookie dough onto the paper (still on the counter), then slide the parchment paper onto the baking sheet just before placing it in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies ahead of time? Yes – these cookies freeze nicely so you could bake them up ahead of time and freeze until ready to serve.
- How do I freeze these cookies? Lay them flat on a tray, placing a sheet of parchment paper in between any layers. Freeze until firm, then transfer to a plastic freezer bag or container for longer term storage.
- Can I make these cookies with white chocolate chips? Sure. Just swap in the same amount (2 cups) of white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also note that white chocolate tends to be sweetener than semi-sweet chocolate so you’ll definitely want to make sure to use unsweetened coconut to avoid an overly-sweet cookie.
You might like these other Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
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Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies
Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies are loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, generous flakes of coconut, and chopped macadamia nuts.
Ingredients
3/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (we used Bob’s Red Mill )
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 12-oz bag)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Have a few extra parchment paper sheets on hand.
- In a dry skillet, lightly toast chopped macadamia nuts over medium-low heat. Stir frequently so smaller bits of nuts don’t burn. Pour out of the skillet onto a paper plate to cool.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl until evenly combined.
- Add butter and both sugars to the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat together (using the paddle attachment) for 5 minutes or so, until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
- On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the dry ingredients are combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add flaked coconut and toasted nuts, then mix until evenly combined throughout the dough.
- Add chocolate chips and mix one more time until evenly combined.
- Scoop the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet using a one ounce scoop – we baked one cookie sheet at a time, 9 cookies per sheet, spacing the balls of dough about two inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool and firm up on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then carefully slide the parchment paper (with cookies still on it) onto a cooling rack to finish fully cooling the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough – but see note below.
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Notes
Be sure to allow the baking sheet to fully cool before you portion out the next batch to bake. If you place the scoops pf cookie dough on a warm cookie sheet and it to sits a bit before going into the oven, the dough will soften and the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
With two cookie sheets in rotation, we had one batch of cookies baking in the oven while the other baking sheet cooled. If you have extra parchment paper sheets, you can portion out the cookie dough onto the paper (on the counter), then slide the paper onto baking sheet just before it goes into the oven.
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