Mouthwatering vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookies studded generously with vegan white chocolate chips and buttery macadamia nuts. The one-bowl cookie dough needs nine ingredients and comes together in five minutes.
You might also enjoy these recipes for vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegan gluten-free white chocolate chip skillet cookie and vegan banana cookies with chocolate chips.
This vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe is one of my all-time-favorite cookie recipes. The cookies are so delicious, with smooth notes from the buttery macadamia nuts and creamy white chocolate, and they are so easy to make.
They also have the perfect bakery-style texture: they are soft and chewy, and they simply melt in your mouth - you won't be able to stop at one! The recipe makes a large batch of 24 big cookies so you'll have plenty to indulge in.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this cookie recipe
- Buttery and creamy: These vegan cookies have the perfect flavor and are as yummy as the classic white chocolate macadamia nut cookies you will find at your favorite bakery or store. Only these are made without butter and eggs!
- Easy, one-bowl cookie dough: As the baker, you will love that the cookie dough comes together in five minutes, in one bowl, and the cookies are ready to eat after 16 minutes of baking. That's less than 30 minutes from scratch. You don't even need an electric mixer or stand mixer, just a whisk and a spatula will do.
- Low in fat: There's just ¼ cup of oil (or vegan butter) in this recipe, which yields 24 large cookies. Applesauce keeps the cookies chewy and moist while keeping the fat content low.
- Soy-free recipe. If you are gluten-free, see my suggestions in the FAQs below. If you are nut-free, you can make these vegan cookies with just white chocolate chips and leave out the nuts.
Ingredients
- Unbleached all purpose flour. This flour makes the best textured cookies with the most authentic taste. For a healthier version, use whole wheat pastry flour.
- Leavening: baking soda + baking powder. These help create perfectly textured cookies that rise and become soft and chewy, just like you want them to be!
- Sugar. I use turbinado sugar, which tints the cookies lightly brown. You can also use light brown sugar. For vegan white chocolate macadamia cookies that are lighter colored, use white granulated sugar.
- Neutral oil. I use avocado oil, any neutral oil like grape seed oil or sunflower seed oil is fine too. For even more buttery cookies, use melted vegan butter.
- Applesauce. Applesauce helps keep the cookies moist without the need for much oil.
- Pure vanilla extract. This adds to the smooth, buttery flavor of these vegan cookies.
- Macadamia nuts. I used roasted, lightly salted nuts for this recipe. You can use salted or unsalted/roasted or unroasted nuts. If the nuts are already halved, you can use them as is. If they aren't, chop them roughly.
How to make vegan white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies
Place the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt - in a bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.
Add the sugar to the flour mixture...
...followed by the other wet ingredients, including the applesauce, oil and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula until the cookie dough forms.
Add the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to the bowl.
Use the spatula to thoroughly mix the chocolate chips and nuts into the dough. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookies on a lightly oiled baking sheet (the scoop I used is a two-tablespoon scoop). You may need to do this in two or three batches, depending on the size of the baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F/180-degree C oven for 16 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through to evenly brown cookies. Cool the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then, using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack to continue cooling.
Top tips
- For crispier cookies, reduce applesauce to ½ cup and increase oil to ½ cup.
- I used a two-tablespoon cookie scoop for cookies that were about 3 ½ inches in diameter. Use a smaller scoop for small cookies, a larger scoop for larger cookies. You might need to reduce or increase baking time by one or two minutes up or down. The cookies should be light golden-brown at the edges when done.
- The cookies are very soft when they come out of the oven, but they will continue to set up and firm up as they cool down. Be very careful when you transfer the cookies from the baking sheet to the wire rack and do this using a very thin spatula.
Recipe FAQs
If you are gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour or use my recipe for vegan keto white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Substitute the sweetener with sugar and cut down the vegan whipping cream in that recipe by half.
Yes, cashews would be great in this vegan cookie recipe. So would blanched, slivered almonds.
There is very little oil in this recipe and it is necessary for giving the cookies those slightly crispy edges and wonderful spread. I wouldn't advise skipping the oil completely. However, if you cannot consume oil at all, replace the oil with ¼th cup more of applesauce. This will make the cookie cakey and very tender rather than crispy. Also line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. Oil-free cookies will be more prone to breaking.
Several brands of vegan white chocolate chips are available online and in specialty stores. I've used the King David white chocolate chips from Amazon for years now for all my baking, but when I checked this time they were out of stock. I'll link to another brand in the recipe card below.
Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Refrigerate for up to a month. You can freeze the macadamia nut cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to two months. Thaw, form the cookies and bake!
More vegan white chocolate recipes
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Recipe card
Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour (to make this healthier use whole-wheat pastry flour, but your cookie will have a darker hue)
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil (or melted vegan butter)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips
- 1 cup macadamia nuts (halved or roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Place the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt - in a bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.
- Stir in the sugar followed by the other wet ingredients, including the applesauce, oil and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to mix until the cookie dough forms.
- Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to the bowl. Mix into the cookie dough with the spatula until they are evenly dispersed.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookies on a lightly oiled baking sheet (the scoop I used is a two-tablespoon scoop). You may need to do this in two or three batches, depending on the size of the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies a preheated 350 degree F/180-degree C oven for 16 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through to evenly brown the cookies. Cool the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then, using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack to continue cooling.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
First published March 24, 2016. Updated and republished on Oct. 15, 2024.
siegalpaula says
So many things I would bake but for sure these cookies and maybe a pie crust with the coconut oil
starlabates says
Those look and sound delicious! I think I would make coconut sugar cookies for sure.. I might add some fresh strawberry compote!
Manju says
Classic chocolate chip cookies from your recipe instead of earthbalance is what I would like to try.
Holly says
I've been wanting to try making matcha cookies, and I bet coconut oil would work really well in them!
Dandi D says
I might make some yummy superfood brownies with them!
Catherine Hess says
If I got these good things, I would finally try my hand at baking crackers. I can't eat most of the commercial ones, and it would be a treat to have some that are homemade.
jujubee777 says
i'd make muffins!
Bella Victus says
I would bake with this product, probably my coconut honeycake and coconut macaroons 🙂
Ekta Kataria says
I would love to make oats cookies with these products for my kids. It would be a a yummy and healthy snack for them. Thanks for the recipe !
joan says
I'd make these cookies and bring them in to my 10th grade class to show the students that vegan cooking/baking can be delicious.
Anonymous says
wow. These cookies look delicious 🙂 I honestly did not know coconut oil could be used for desserts and yes, I do not like the smell of the oil in baked goods. The fact that this is unflavored tempts me to give this a try. I'd love to have the products so I can try this and several other recipes...
Thanks for this wonderful recipe 🙂
Meena.
A Kitchen Fable says
The cookies look amazing! There are so many things I could bake, such as a coconut cake and these lovely cookies.
Prachi says
The white choclate macadamia peach dark choclate chip
Kitty says
I would bake some chocolate brownie cookies!
Annette says
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies are my favorite! I'll definitely be trying this recipe. I already use Carrington Farms (solid) Coconut oil and love it. The cooking spray will be perfect for when I make croissants (so much easier to spray than to brush on oil).
Jacky says
Hmm, I don't see the comment I just submitted... but I would love to make all the cookie recipes in my cookbook collection healthier with coconut oil in place of Earth Balance or canola oil. I love Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles and would probably make those first. And I could really use some new cookie sheets!
Jacky says
I would love to try your cookies, and lots of other cookie recipes made healthier with coconut oil! I could really use some new cookie sheets too! Mine are looking rough!
Bridget C says
Think I'll make these white chocolate macadamia cookies; look yummy!
Krithika says
I think I would bake some large oatmeal cookies that would make a healthy breakfast. I have a bad tendency to skip breakfast most days that I'm trying to break. I'm always on the lookout for healthy breakfast options.
These cookies look wonderful! I've never baked with macadamia nuts before, I think I'm going to have to try these soon.
Angela Saver says
I would use these ingredients to bake some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for my family!
Andysavi.Mom@gmail.com
thesingingmama says
They look delicious, I am baking these for sure.
Sue hegle says
I am ordering those white chocolate chips and will bake these cookies! They look amazing!
Chhaya says
These cookies look scrumptious! I would try either these or some vegan coconut macaroons that I have been meaning to try since a long time!
Sarah Olson says
I've used that exact coconut oil to make some chocolate-avocado ice cream before, which was amazing!
Girija says
I'd use it to whip up some vegan butter for the Adai.
rusthawk says
I would have to make your recipe first! Wonderful pics!
Juliann says
I'm a muffin baker and been experimenting with savory granola. All of the coconut products would help.
ss says
These cookies for sure! White chocolate and macadamia is one of my fav combos as well!
Kathy says
I would bake these cookies of course!! These white chocolate macadamia cookies look delicious.
Jaleesa Smith says
I would try these cookies. They look amazing!
Diane Dimauro says
I would use these ingredients to make Chia & Flax Pancakes!! Yum!! Love these cookies