White Chocolate Orange Macadamia Cookies

White Chocolate Orange Macadamia Cookies

White chocolate and macadamia is a pretty popular cookie flavor combo and one of my personal favorites and this version adds even more flavor with the simple addition of some grated orange zest to the dough.  To get that perfect crispy chewy texture, be careful not to over bake them and be very certain to chill the dough completely before baking. The chilling is very important with such a soft dough or the cookies will spread too much on the pan and possibly over bake. Just omit the orange zest if you want the classic version of this cookie.

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 oz chopped white chocolate
• 3/4 cup macadamia nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; aluminum pans are best.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly.

Add the flour mixture to the sweetened butter. Mix only enough to incorporate flour. Do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts along with:

Zest of 1/2 large orange, finely chopped

Chill dough completely for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet about 3 inches apart

Bake until light brown around the edges, about 12 minutes.

Over baking is the biggest problem with most chocolate chip cookies. Your oven temperature and the type of cookie sheet you use will vary the baking times considerably. When they are golden brown around the edges is the time to remove them from the oven.

Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.